A review of the properties of Type II Cepheids and RV Tauri stars in the Magellanic Clouds is presented. In the behaviour of their light and colour curves, the RV Tauri stars appear to be a direct extension of the Type II Cepheids to longer periods. A single P – L – C relationship describes both the Type II Cepheids and RV Tauri stars in the LMC. The derived high intrinsic magnitudes for the RV Tauri variables supports the proposition that these objects are luminous stars evolving off the AGB. Preliminary analysis of the long time-series MACHO photometry indicates one star (MACHO*05:37:45.0–69:54:16) has an obvious ‘period-quadrupled’ periodicity, which is supporting evidence for a period-doubling bifurcation transition to chaotic pulsations.

The Culgoora magnetograph (Ramsay et al., 1970) produces simultaneous filtergrams in opposite circular polarizations at a wavelength selected by a filter bandwidth 0.005 nm (Ramsay et al., 1970). In the blue wing of the 610.27 nm line of CaI, regions of magnetic fields in strong or weak plages are very obvious in one or other polarization, depending on polarity, even before subtraction; in one polarization they are bright, but almost invisible in the other. They are more difficult to discern at equal intervals from the line centre in the other wing (Figure 1). When subtractions are carried out to yield magnetograms of the same sense, the two magnetograms from opposite wings give results which appear to be much the same. An example is shown in Figure 2. Similar results are obtained over a wide range of positions in the wings of the 610.27 nm line.

We address the importance of historical full-disc Ca II K spectroheliograms for solar activity and irradiance reconstruction studies. We review our work on processing such data to enable them to be used in irradiance reconstructions. We also present our preliminary estimates of the plage areas from five of the longest available historical Ca II K archives.

A characteristic pattern of solar hard X-ray emission, first identified in SOL1969-03-30 by Frost & Dennis (1971), turns out to have a close association with the prolonged high-energy gamma-ray emission originally observed by Forrest et al. (1985). This identification has become clear via the observations of long-duration γ-ray flares by the Fermi/LAT experiment, for example in the event SOL2014-09-01. The distinctive features of these events include flat hard X-ray spectra extending well above 100 keV, a characteristic pattern of time development, low-frequency gyrosynchrotron peaks, CME association, and gamma-rays identifiable with pion decay originating in GeV ions. The identification of these events with otherwise known solar structures nevertheless remains elusive, in spite of the wealth of EUV imagery available from SDO/AIA. The quandary is that these events have a clear association with SEPs in the high corona, and yet the gamma-ray production implicates the photosphere itself, despite the strong mirror force that should focus the particles away from the Sun We discuss the morphology of these phenomena and propose a solution to this problem.

The observational evidence on the discrepancy between the mass distribution in galaxies derived from HI rotation curves and that derived from the distribution of light is reviewed. In the outer parts the discrepancy is such that in some galaxies there is at least three times as much dark matter as luminous matter. This is a direct consequence of the nearly constant circular velocity far beyond the edge of the visible part of the galaxy, as derived from the motion of HI. The discrepancy is clearly present already near the edge of the visible disk (R25). In the inner regions, i.e. inside approximately 2.5 disk scale-lengths, no dark matter is required, but its presence can not be ruled out. There is no evidence for a dependence on galaxy luminosity or morphological type. These results suggest a strong coupling between luminous matter and dark matter within individual galaxies, and among galaxies as well. Finally attention is drawn to the large-scale asymmetries in the outer parts of galaxies and to possible implications for the vertical distribution of dark matter.

The standard picture of planet formation posits that giant gas planets are over-grown rocky planets massive enough to attract enormous gas atmospheres. It has been shown recently that the opposite point of view is physically plausible: the rocky terrestrial planets are former giant planet embryos dried of their gas “to the bone” by the influences of the parent star. Here we provide a brief overview of this “Tidal Downsizing” hypothesis in the context of the Solar System structure.

One of the most fundamental physical parameter in astronomy is the distance to the objects we detect in the universe. For many classes of astronomical objects, accurate and proven methods have been developed to determine their distances. Such classes of objects include stars within ∼100 pc from the sun, binary stellar systems, variable stars, stellar clusters, main sequence stars, and other galaxies. It has been, however, more difficult to develop satisfactory methods to determine accurate distances to the more than 1000 planetary nebulae that have been discovered in our galaxy.

We report the current results on a comprehensive scan of the near-Earth asteroid catalog for evidence of the Yarkovsky effect in the orbital motion of these bodies. While most objects do not have sufficient observational data to reveal such slight acceleration, we do identify 42 asteroids with a “valid” detection of the Yarkovsky effect, i.e., those with a signal at least 3 times greater than the formal uncertainty and a value compatible with the Yarkovsky mechanism.

We also identify a special category of non-detection, which we refer to as “weak signal,” where the objects are of a size that would permit a clear detection if the Yarkovsky effect is maximized, and yet the orbit is clearly incompatible with such accelerations. The implication is that the Yarkovsky effect is reduced in these cases, presumably due to mid-range obliquity, but possibly also due to size, bulk density, thermal inertia, albedo, or spin rate markedly different from assumptions.

Finally, there are a number of asteroids showing a significant signal for nongravitational acceleration, and yet with a magnitude too great to be attributed to the Yarkovsky effect. We term these “spurious detections” because most are due to erroneous optical astrometry, often involving a single isolated night from precovery observations. Some cases may be due to other nongravitational accelerations, such as outgassing, mass loss, or micro-meteoroid flux.

Parallaxes are presented for nine Planetary Nebulae central stars.

One- and two-component models for the Chandler motion are investigated with the use of historical data. Evidence for a two-component motion is more convincing from both the data-analysis and the geophysical point of view.

Relativistic phenomena (orbital precession, Shapiro delay, and/or orbital decay) have been measured in Arecibo timing observations of four pulsar-white dwarf binaries, leading to constraints on the neutron star masses. We have detected the decay of the PSR J0751+1807 orbit due to gravitational radiation emission, the first such measurement in a binary with a low mass ratio (m2/m1 ≪ 1). Timing data constrains the mass of this pulsar to bet between 1.6 and 2.8 M⊙. Masses of the other pulsars are in marginal agreement with the canonical pulsar mass of 1.35 M⊙, but higher values are preferred.

In this paper solutions of the mean field induction equation in a spherical geometry are discussed. In particular, the 22-year solar magnetic cycle is considered to be governed by an axisymmetric, periodic solution which is antisymmetric with respect to the equatorial plane. This solution essentially describes flux tubes travelling as waves from mid-latitudes towards the equator. In a layer of infinite extent the period of such dynamo waves solely depends on the strength of the two induction effects, differential rotation and α-effect (cyclonic turbulence). In a spherical shell, however, mean flux must be destroyed by turbulent diffusion, so the latter process might actually control the time scale of the solar cycle.

A special discussion is devoted to the question of whether the angular velocity increases with increasing depth, as the dynamo waves seem to require, or whether it decreases, as many theoretical models concerned with the Sun's differential rotation predict. Finally, theories for the sector structure of the large scale photospheric field are reviewed. These describe magnetic sectors as a consequence of the sectoral pattern in the underlying large scale convection, as non-axisymmetric solutions of the mean field induction equation, or as hydromagnetic waves, modified by rotational effects.

We present results of a project aimed at establishing a set of 12 spectro-photometric standards over a wide wavelength range from 320 to 2500 nm. Currently no such set of standard stars covering the near-IR is available. Our strategy is to extend the useful range of existing well-established optical flux standards (Oke 1990, Hamuy et al. 1992, 1994) into the near-IR by means of integral field spectroscopy with SINFONI at the VLT combined with state-of-the-art white dwarf stellar atmospheric models (TMAP, Holberg et al. 2008). As a solid reference, we use two primary HST standard white dwarfs GD71 and GD153 and one HST secondary standard BD+17 4708. The data were collected through an ESO “Observatory Programme” over ~40 nights between February 2007 and September 2008.

The parameter-free model of diffusion in the atmospheres of HgMn stars (Michaud 1986, Michaud et al. 1979) predicts that helium should sink below the $\hbox{He\,{\sc ii}}$ ionization zone that the diffusion of other elements may take place, and that all HgMn stars should have deficits of helium in their photospheres, with a minimum deficit of 0.3 dex. In this study, the Smith & Dworetsky (1993) sample of HgMn stars and normal comparison stars is examined, and the helium abundances determined by spectrum synthesis using échelle spectra taken at Lick Observatory and the AAT. The prediction is confirmed. All HgMn stars are deficient in He by as much as 1.5 dex. Also, two HgMn stars, HR 7361 and HR 7664, show clear evidence of helium stratification.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Accurate characterization of the astrometric errors in the forthcoming Gaia catalogue is essential for making optimal use of the data. Using small-scale numerical simulations of the astrometric solution, we investigate the expected spatial correlation between the astrometric errors of stars as function of their angular separation. Extrapolating to the full-scale solution for the final Gaia catalogue, we find that the expected correlations are generally very small, but could reach some fraction of a percent for angular separations smaller than about one degree. The spatial correlation length is related to the size of the field of view of Gaia, while the maximum correlation coefficient is related to the mean number of stars present in the field at any time. Our scalable simulation tool (AGISLab) makes it possible to characterize the astrometric errors and correlations, e.g., as functions of position and magnitude.

The solar activity cycle is a manifestation of the hydromagnetic dynamo working inside our star. The detection of activity cycles in solar-like stars and the study of their properties allow us to put the solar dynamo in perspective, investigating how dynamo action depends on stellar parameters and stellar structure. Nevertheless, the lack of spatial resolution and the limited time extension of stellar data pose limitations to our understanding of stellar cycles and the possibility to constrain dynamo models. I briefly review some results obtained from disc-integrated proxies of stellar magnetic fields and discuss the new opportunities opened by space-borne photometry made available by MOST, CoRoT, Kepler, and GAIA, and by new ground-based spectroscopic or spectropolarimetric observations. Stellar cycles have a significant impact on the energetic output and circumstellar magnetic fields of late-type active stars which affects the interaction between stars and their planets. On the other hand, a close-in massive planet could affect the activity of its host star. Recent observations provide circumstantial evidence of such an interaction with possible consequences for stellar activity cycles.

Supermassive black holes are nowadays believed to reside in most local galaxies. Observations have revealed us vast information on the population of local and distant black holes, but the detailed physical properties of these dark massive objects are still to be proven. Accretion of gas and black hole mergers play a fundamental role in determining the two parameters defining a black hole: mass and spin. We briefly review here the basic properties of the population of supermassive black holes, focusing on the still mysterious formation of the first massive black holes, and their evolution from early times to now.

We analyzed the relationship between the ground-based modulation of cosmic rays (CR) and corotating interaction regions (CIRs). Daily averaged data from 8 different neutron monitor (NM) stations were used, covering rigidities from Rc = 0 − 12.91 GeV. The in situ solar wind data were taken from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) database, whereas the coronal hole (CH) areas were derived from the Solar X-Ray Imager onboard GOES-12. For the analysis we have chosen a period in the declining phase of solar cycle 23, covering the period 25 January–5 May 2005. During the CIR periods CR decreased typically from 0.5% to 2%. A cross-correlation analysis showed a distinct anti-correlation between the magnetic field and CR, with the correlation coefficient (r) ranging from −0.31 to −0.38 (mean: −0.36) and with the CR time delay of 2 to 3 days. Similar anti-correlations were found for the solar wind density and velocity characterized by the CR time lag of 4 and 1 day, respectively. The relationship was also established between the CR modulation and the area of the CIR-related CH with the CR time lag of 5 days after the central-meridian passage of CH.

The recent observations of atomic oxygen and carbon in the far ultraviolet spectrum of Comet Kohoutek (1973f) (Feldman et al. 1974; Opal et al. 1974) have demonstrated the existence of these atomic species in the cometary coma. However, in order to identify the source of their origin, it is necessary to relate the observed ultraviolet flux to the atomic production rate. Assuming the only excitation mechanisms allowed are those produced by resonance scattering and fluorescence of solar ultraviolet radiation, the problem reduces to finding the emission rate factors (g-factors) as a function of the heliocentric comet velocity. Since the widths of the solar emission lines are smaller than the maximum heliocentric Doppler shift, given by

where q is the perihelion distance in A.U., it is necessary to consider the detailed multiplet structure of the transition, the solar line shape and the relaxation of excited fine structure levels.

Like other features of the surrounding world, objects and events perceived in the sky were used to mediate between humans and specific meanings acquired in relation to them. Celestial bodies were often believed to act like human agents. In this way the skies became part of the social field of human beings—a heterogeneous space in which all important types of relationships could happen. For this reason, the study of the role celestial lore and skywatching played in human populations is a task appropriate to cultural astronomers rather than to astrophysicists or historians of science.