We present new Keck/HIRES observations of seven of the highest-redshift known quasars. These include four with $z_{\rm qso}\ge 5.8$ and two with $z_{\rm qso}\ge 6.3$. The data will be used to produced a complete statistical description of the Ly$\alpha$ forest at $z > 5$, allowing us to better assess the significance of the strong absorption seen at $z>6.2$. We introduce the statistics of transmission gaps as a means of characterising the high-redshift evolution of the forest. In addition, we identify several clear absorption lines of low optical depth in the quasar proximity regions and briefly discuss using these to place constraints on the thermal history of the IGM at $z>5$.

I describe a new integral field spectroscopic survey called MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory). One of three core programs in the 6-year SDSS-IV project† that began on July 1st, 2014, MaNGA will deploy 17 fiber-bundle IFUs across the Sloan 2.5m Telescope's 3 degree field-of-view, targeting a mass-selected sample with a median redshift of 0.03, typical spatial resolution of 1-2 kpc, and a per-fiber signal-to-noise ratio of 4-8 in the outskirts of target galaxies. For each galaxy in the sample, MaNGA will provide maps and measured gradients of the composition and dynamics of both stars and gas. I discuss early results that highlight MaNGA's potential to shed light on the ionization and chemical enrichment of gas in galaxies, spatial patterns in their star formation histories, and the internal makeup of stellar populations. MaNGA's unprecedented data set will not only provide powerful new insight on galaxy formation and evolution but will serve as a valuable benchmark for future high-z observations from large telescopes and space-based facilities.

We discuss using high solar cycle atmospheric conditions as sensors for observing meteors and their properties. High altitude meteor trails (HAMTs) have sometimes been observed with HPLA (High Power Large Aperture) radars. At other times they are not seen. In the absence of systematic studies on this topic, we surmise that the reason might be differing atmospheric conditions during the observations. At EISCAT HAMTs were observed in 1990 and 1991. Very high meteor trails were observed with Israeli L-band radars in 1998, 1999 and 2001. Through the Leonid activity, around the latest perihelion passage of comet Tempel-Tuttle, optical meteors as high as 200 km were reported. This was partly due to new and better observing methods. However, all the reported periods of high altitude meteors seem to correlate with solar cycle maximum. The enhanced atmospheric and ionospheric densities extend the meteoroid interaction range with the atmosphere along its path, offering a better possibility to distinguish differential ablation of the various meteoric constituents. This should be studied during the next solar maximum, due within a few years.

Clumpy galaxies are prominent in the early Universe. We present morphological and photometric properties of a wide range of galaxy types and their star-forming clumps in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Sizes, scale lengths, and scale heights suggest that galaxies grow by a factor of 2 from z = 4 to the present, and that thick disks are present in the early Universe. The largest clumps of star formation are 107–109M⊙ in different galaxies, much more massive than large star-forming complexes in local galaxies. Dissolved clumps may account for both the exponential disks and the early thick disks of spirals and proto-spiral galaxies.

Magnetic fields in our Galaxy and nearby galaxies have been revealed by starlight polarization, polarized emission from dust grains and clouds at millimeter and submillimeter wavelength, the Zeeman effect of spectral lines or maser lines from clouds or clumps, diffuse radio synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons in interstellar magnetic fields, and the Faraday rotation of background radio sources as well as pulsars for our Milky Way. It is easy to get a global structure for magnetic fields in nearby galaxies, while we have observed many details of magnetic fields in our Milky Way, especially by using pulsar rotation measure data. In general, magnetic fields in spiral galaxies probably have a large-scale structure. The fields follow the spiral arms with or without the field direction reversals. In the halo of spiral galaxies magnetic fields exist and probably also have a large-scale structure as toroidal and poloidal fields, but seem to be slightly weaker than those in the disk. In the central region of some galaxies, poloidal fields have been detected as vertical components. Magnetic field directions in galaxies seem to have been preserved during cloud formation and star formation, from large-scale diffuse interstellar medium to molecular clouds and then to the cloud cores in star formation regions or clumps for the maser spots. Magnetic fields in galaxies are passive to dynamics.

In this work, we will show that a proper definition of the boundary of a convective zone should be the place where the convective energy flux (i.e. the correlation of turbulent velocity and temperature) changes its sign. Therefore, it is convectively unstable region when the flux is positive, and it is convective overshooting zone when the flux becomes negative. In our nonlocal convection theory, convection is already sub-adiabatic (∇ < ∇ad) far before reaching the unstable boundary; while in the overshooting zone below the convective zone, convection is sub-adiabatic and super-radiative (∇rad < ∇ < ∇ad). The transition between the adiabatic temperature gradient and the radiative one is continuous and smooth instead of a sudden switch. In the unstable zone, the temperature gradient is approaching radiative rather than going to adiabatic. The distance of convective overshooting is different for different physical quantities. The overshooting distance in the context of stellar evolution, measured by the extent of mixing of stellar matter, should be more extended than that of other physical quantities. It is estimated as large as 0.25–1.7 Hp depending on the evolutionary timescale.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the scientific successor to the Hubble and Spitzer missions. Its wavelength range (1 - 28μm) and sensitivity (1 nJy - 1 μJy) complement the submillimeter facilities of the coming decade, Herschel and ALMA. The JWST development is on schedule for a June 2013 launch to L2 on an Ariane 5.

Sub-Arcsec images in the JHK$_s$, H$_2$ and Br$_\gamma$ of three areas (I(N), F and NGC 6334 IV (MM3)) of the giant molecular cloud NGC 6334 are presented. The preliminary results indicate the presence of a deeply embedded young stellar cluster in the northermost part of the cloud (I(N)). We have identified the exciting source of the cometary UCHII NGC 6334 F. This source has an infrared luminosity L$_{\rm IRacute;{=} $3 10$^3$ L$_{\odot}$ and a very steep infrared spectral index. Finally, a new center of massive star formation associated with the millimeter peak MM3 has been found east of the bipolar HII region NGC 6334 a.

Magnetic fields have been observed on all scales in our Galaxy, from AU to kpc. With pulsar dispersion measures and rotation measures, we can directly measure the magnetic fields in a very large region of the Galactic disk. The results show that the large-scale magnetic fields are aligned with the spiral arms but reverse their directions many times from the innermost arm (Norma) to the outer arm (Perseus). The Zeeman splitting measurements of masers in HII regions or star-formation regions not only show the structured fields inside clouds, but also have a clear pattern in the global Galactic distribution of all measured clouds which indicates the possible connection of the large-scale and small-scale magnetic fields.

. NGC 300 X-1 and IC 10 X-1 are currently the only two robust extragalactic candidates for being Wolf-Rayet/black hole X-ray binaries, the Galactic analogue being Cyg X-3. These systems are believed to be a late product of high-mass X-ray binary evolution and direct progenitors of black hole mergers. From the analysis of Swift data, the orbital period of NGC 300 X-1 was found to be 32.8 h. We here merge the full set of existing data of NGC 300 X-1, using XMM-Newton, Chandra and Swift observations to derive a more precise value of the orbital period of 32.7932 ± 0.0029 h above a confidence level of 99.99%. This allows us to phase connect the X-ray light curve of the source with radial velocity measurements of He II lines performed in 2010. We show that, as for IC 10 X-1 and Cyg X-3, the X-ray eclipse corresponds to maximum of the blueshift of the He II lines, instead of the expected zero velocity. This indicates that for NGC 300 X-1 as well, the wind of the WR star is completely ionised by the black hole radiation and that the emission lines come from the region of the WR star that is in the shadow. We also present for the first time the light curve of two recent very long XMM-Newton observations of the source, performed on the 16th to 20th of December 2016.

We present deep H$_2$ images of planetary nebulae obtained with the CHFTIR camera of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Molecular hydrogen emissions are seen in the equatorial torus, bipolar lobes, as well as in extended haloes. Radial equatorial jets are also detected in a number of bipolar nebulae.

Main-sequence massive stars possess convective cores that likely harbor strong dynamo action. To assess the role of core convection in building magnetic fields within these stars, we employ the 3-D anelastic spherical harmonic (ASH) code to model turbulent dynamics within a 10 M⊙ main-sequence (MS) B-type star rotating at 4 Ω⊙. We find that strong (900 kG) magnetic fields arise within the turbulence of the core and penetrate into the stably stratified radiative zone. These fields exhibit complex, time-dependent behavior including reversals in magnetic polarity and shifts between which hemisphere dominates the total magnetic energy.

40 years have passed since the first molecular detection outside our Galaxy. Since then, our knowledge on the distribution, kinematics and composition of the molecular material in the extragalactic ISM has built up significantly based not only on the carbon monoxide observations but also in the more than 50 molecular species detected. In particular, line surveys have been proven to be excellent tools to study the chemical composition in the nuclei of galaxies. Such studies have been favored by the increasing instantaneous bandwidth of current mm and sub-mm facilities. Here I will summarize the highlights of extragalactic molecular spectroscopy, mostly focusing in the results from molecular line surveys published in the last few years as well as the aims of still ongoing projects.

GG Tau is a textbook example of a binary system. The circumstellar material around GG Tau is divided in several distinct regions: 1) small, low mass, circumstellar disks, detected in the near-IR and mm domain, 2) a well defined ring, of inner radius 180 AU, detected in the mm domain and in scattered near-IR light, 3) a more extended, colder disk detected in the 13CO(2–1) and 13CO(1–0) lines. Recent observations of the 12CO(2–1) clearly show this extended disk, but also reveal a fourth component of the circumstellar material: (relatively) diffuse and hot gas in the tidally unstable region. Estimate of the gas content suggest this material may be feeding the inner disks at about 10−6 M⊙/yr.

Recent spectroscopic results from the far ultraviolet and X-ray region coupled with infrared observations demonstrate that winds from luminous stars can be warm (300000K) and fast (speeds of several hundred km s—1) linking the hot solar wind to the cool, massive winds of luminous M-type supergiant stars. Hot coronal material (T ∼107 K) appears to be confined near the star, and not expanding in the wind. These new spectra enable a comprehensive picture to be constructed of the presence and character of winds in cool stars.

We carried out observations of bright optical carbon stars with the ISO SWS, and detected the absorption features of CO, CS, CH, SiS and HCN in N-type and SC-type stars. The CH fundamental bands in 3-4 μm in N-type stars are stronger than those in SC-type stars. On the other hand, the first overtone bands of SiS at 6.6 μm were detected in WZ Cas (SC-type), while none of them were detected in N-type stars. These results can be explained well by the lower C/O ratio in SC-type stars than in N-type stars. The absorption features of HCN (v1, v2 + v3 and v1 − v2) are stronger in SC-type stars than in N-type stars. This fact can be explained by the cooler atmospheres of our SC-type stars due to the lower C/O ratio as well as due to the lower effective temperature, compared with the N-type stars in our sample. The CS bands and the band heads of the CO fundamental bands are weaker in the observed spectra than in those predicted by our model atmospheres. This result cannot be explained by the present model atmosphere and one possible explanation is the contribution by the emission of CO and CS in the outer atmosphere.

Effective temperatures of 30 turnoff stars with $-3.2 {<}$[Fe/H]${<}{-}1.5$ have been derived from the profiles of Balmer lines in high S/N, VLT/UVES spectra. While the systematic error of $T_{\rm eff}$ may be of the order of 100K, the differential values of $T_{\rm eff}$ are determined with a one-sigma precision of ${\sim}25$K. These precise $T_{\rm eff}$ values are used in a study of the slope and dispersion of the Li abundance as a function of [Fe/H]. A small, but significant cosmic dispersion in $A$(Li) appears to be present exemplified by the two very metal-poor stars G64-12 and G64-37.

In the Titan Haze Simulation (THS) experiment, Titan's atmospheric chemistry is simulated by plasma discharge in the stream of a supersonic expansion, i.e. at low Titan-like temperature (150 K). Here, we present complementary gas and solid phase analyses of four N2-CH4-based gas mixtures that demonstrate the unique capability of the THS to monitor the chemical growth evolution in order to better understand Titan's chemistry and the origin of aerosol formation.

Recent observations of zodiacal light have established a reliable and consistent picture of the spatial distribution of interplanetary dust in the ecliptic plane. The spatial density nr varies with heliocentric distance r according to a power law nr ∝ r−ν. From Helios observations an exponent v = 1.3 is derived for the distance interval from 0.08 A.U. to 1 A.U. (Link et al. 1976). Outside the earth's orbit the Pioneer 10 and 11 results suggest a higher exponent v = 1.5 for the distance interval from 1 A.U. to 3.3. A.U. (Hanner et al., 1976). Giese and Grün (1976) showed that the results from zodiacal light observations are compatible with the micrometeoroid fluxes derived from in situ measurements and lunar crater statistics. They found that micrometeoroids in the size range from 10 μm to 100 μm radii (corresponding roughly to 10−8g to 10−5g) contribute most to the zodiacal light brightness.

The orbital distribution of large interplanetary particles (10−6 g < m < 10−3g) is known from meteor observations. Sekanina and Southworth (1975) reported average orbital elements of these particles: ā ∼ 1.25 A.U., ē ∼ 0.4 and ī ∼ 20°. Orbital information on micrometeoroids (m < 10−8g) is obtained from in situ detectors on board the Pioneer 8 and 9 and Helios 1 spaceprobes and the HEOS-2 satellite. Characteristics of the different micrometeoroid experiments are given in Table 1. There is almost no time overlap in the data taking intervals of the experiments. Therefore one has to assume that there are no time variations of the meteoroid flux on the time scale of 1 to 10 years if one compares the results from the different experiments. This assumption may be violated for the smallest of the observed particles (m < 10−13g) due to strong electromagnetic interaction of these particles with the interplanetary magnetic field (Morfill and Grün 1979).

In this paper, we introduce two compact, large-throughput CMB polarimeter designs (POLAR1 and BICEP3). These pathfinder experiments will pave the way for a comprehensive multi-frequency South Pole B-mode survey that, when jointly analyzed with arcminute-scale polarization data, can conclusively answer the question whether there is an appreciable fraction (>1%) of the primordial perturbations in the form of tensor modes (gravitational waves).