The years when YouTube was only a place where you could only find videos from kittens and fail videos containing people with skate boards crashing into fences are long gone.
Okay, these videos are still uploaded but things really got rolling when they introduced channels.
Since then numerous channels about all kinds of topics, like astronomy, exist.
For me, YouTube is a great source of information about my hobby.
In the last couple of years I subscribed (and unsubscribed) a lot of astronomy related channels and I would like to share a couple of them, which I really like, with you.
If you have another tip for a cool astronomy YouTube channel to check out, please put them in the comments.
Eyes on the Sky
Eyes on the Sky by amateur astronomer David Fuller brings you a weekly, 5 minute show about what’s up in the sky for this week.
Besides that he gives tips how to star hop to certain objects and occasionally you’ll see him wearing a wig for Astronomy Theatre 🙂
A recommended channel for the novice but also for advanced amateur astronomer.
Oh, and don’t forget to check his website EyesontheSky.com for background information and links to videos with astronomy tips like alignment, getting orientated and sun observation to name a few.
Universe Today
This channel, hosted by Fraser Cain, publisher of the astronomy and space news site Universe Today, covers every week a astronomy related topic.
Topics vary from How big is the Solar System to What is a Quasar?
Space Fan News
A weekly news show hosted by Tony Darnell (and sometimes by Scott Lewis) recapping the week with astronomy and space news.
Complex topics are explained in a simple, almost in layman terms, and entertaining manner.
Deep Sky Videos
This is one of the many high quality YouTube channels maintained by video journalist Brady Haran.
Deep Sky Videos covers the objects from the Messier catalogue, the telescopes in Chile and La Palma and other astronomy related topics.
Deep sky objects are explained by professional astronomers so you know what you’re looking at, next time you point your scope into its direction.
Astronomy Shed
Not that active as it was before, Astronomy Shed hosted by Dion Heap gives you the latest astronomy gadgets and explains you stuff you need to know about your telescope.
Topics like polar alignment and mirror collimation are explained in detail.
This channel really got me going again after my 20 years astro break.
Houston Haynes
I found this channel, hosted by Houston Haynes, when I was about to buy my Coronado PST solarscope.
Videos with valuable information about solar observation and solar imaging using a webcam.
Miscellaneous channels
Here are some channels where I’m subscribed to which aren’t astronomy specific but I really want to share with you.
Sometimes scientific, sometimes philosophical and sometimes food for thought: VSauce by Michael Stevens.
Do you like those BBC documentaries or old The Sky at Night episodes? Check out UKAstronomy.
The documentary channel for all your Space & Universe, Science & Technology and Nature documentaries in HD: The HDdocumentaryChannel.