In the past, astronomy was confined to one spectral band, the visual. Now, however, astronomers exploit the entire electromagnetic spectrum. To demonstrate the power of full-spectrum observing, Columbia University’s David Helfand makes an aural analogy. His Web site, Seeing the Whole Symphony, offers audio files that sample the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony one octave at a time.

John Campbell of New Zealand’s University of Canterbury has put together the Web site Rutherford to celebrate his distinguished compatriot, Ernest Rutherford. The site includes a biography of Rutherford and a compilation of the many and varied ways in which Rutherford’s contributions to science have been honored around the world.

Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, Wisconsin, offers a course in industrial laser technology. Among the course materials is a comprehensive and useful Glossary of Laser Terms.

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