NASA’s Open Data Portal is all about “setting data free” (paraphrasing) to “spark your creative juices” (direct quote). In all seriousness, this database is a very direct answer to “what are our tax dollars being used for anyway?” Hats off to the Open Innovation Team, and let’s use this data!

Everyone knows the United States Geological Survey studies rocks. The real question is, from how far away can you study them? Make sure to check out other USGS Astrogeology resources, like their database of Known Terrestrial Analog Sites for Planetary Science.

Previously known as Sentinels Scientific Data Hub, this cornucopia of orbital imagery and other data is a great place to lose yourself, or cut your teeth on analytics.

Since it’s a government organization, we Americans need not preoccupy ourselves with brand loyalty to NASA. The European Space Agency has its own troves of publicly available data and peer-reviewed articles.

ADS was developed by NASA and is managed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. With three databases and over 13 million full-text astronomy and physics publications, this marvel of the information age is a guaranteed mind-blowing time sink.

Can you get whiplash from learning? You might find out if you visit the Exoplanet Archive, developed by NASA and managed by Caltech’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPaC) and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI). Featuring so many spreadsheets, advanced EVE Online players will feel right at home.

Managed by the JPL’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, this exoplanet encyclopedia features 3D system models, full sentences in lieu of raw data, and a friendly user interface. Forget about Boolean searches and enjoy learning about the planets we’ve discovered around other stars.

This amazing library holds over 60,000 free eBooks books - all with expired copyrights. This includes many significant works on astronomy and astronomers. You never know what you’ll find on Gutenberg, but whatever you find will be useful.

Sick of alternative facts and fake news? Turns out one twitter bot is here to help. Using data from the American Association of Variable Star Observers, Michael Hippke relays the latest updates on Betelgeuse’s unprecedented dimming which began in September 2019 and appears to be ending now. No explosion, sorry.

Did you know Google has a dedicated feature for finding scholarly articles? This powerful index (it is Google) may be the largest academic search engine in the world.

Disclaimer: Abstracts aplenty, be prepared to contact your local library or alma mater for the full article unless you have thousands of spare dollars.

Need something to binge-watch while doing dishes or laundry? Why not a NASA webinar?

This treasure trove of workshops and webinars with NASA experts and education specialists covers a wide variety of STEM topics, including Earth sciences.

Headed by the Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL), the Science‐Technology Activities and Resources Library Network (STAR Net) provides interactive STEM exhibits, programming, and training to public libraries nationwide.

Who said geeks are loners? The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) Night Sky Network is a great way to find an astronomy club near you.