This paper discusses the present status of a preliminary inspection of the plates obtained in the Michigan objective-prism survey of the entire southern sky. A very large number of peculiar stars, and of normal supergiants as well, have been noted and lists of these are being prepared for publication.

PC 11 (HD 149427, PK 331-5 1) is classified as a young planetary nebula with strong OIII 4363Å and a Zanstra temperature of TZ = 27000K. It is also classified as (D′ — type) yellow symbiotic star with A — F type companion. It is an IRAS source with detached cold dust with far intrared (IRAS) colours similar to planetary nebulae. The IUE short wavelength (SWP) spectra show emission lines due to OIII] (1661/1666Å). NIII] (1746/1754Å) CIII] (1907/1909Å). The OIII] and NIII] emission lines show significant variation. Variation in the strength of CIII] is not very significant. The strength of OIII] has decreased and NIII] has increased. The long wavelength (LWP) spectrum shows stellar continuum (A-F) and absorption lines due Mg II 2800Å feature. It also show emission lines at 2772Å (?) 3133Å −3140Å (very strong) (OIII, [FeV], 3209Å (He II?) ([FEII]). The variation in the strength of emission line due OIII] and NIII] and the presence of stellar continuum (A-F) suggests that the central star of PC 11 is a binary.

The thermodynamics of condensation from a cooling neutral gas of solar composition, have now been explored in great detail. Theories based on equilibrium condensation have had some striking successes, but there is still much to learn. There seems good reason to explore the condensation process experimentally, so far as it is possible to simulate the conditions usually assumed, to compare the results with what we see in the meteorites, and with the calculations. Preliminary results of this experimental investigation are being reported here.

In this review my aim is to mention very briefly the present state of knowledge over a wide area in order to provide some focus for the wealth of information that this symposium will bring forth. During 13 years a great deal has been discovered, but the jigsaw puzzle of the pulsar model is still in pieces. Some of these have intriguing shapes and seem to fit together, but they do not yet indicate what the picture will be.

V1974 Cyg erupted on 1992 February 19, and was the brightest nova since V1500 Cyg. It soon became an object of massive international multiwavelength observational study.

Some major photometric features of the nova were investigated by DeYoung & Schmidt (1994), and Semeniuk et al. (1994,1995). They found two periodicities in the nova light curve. While the shorter 0.081263 d period was present during the 1993 and 1994 observations, the longer 0.0850 d period was only observed from 1994 July. Semeniuk et al. (1995) interpreted the shorter period as the orbital period of the binary system, and the longer one as caused by the rotation of the white dwarf due to a magnetic field.

In order to investigate the stability properties of galaxy models with central density cusps, TV-body simulations of oblate models with density ρ ∝ m –1 (m+a)–3 where m 2=R 2+[z/q]2 and distribution functions f(E, Lz ) (computed as in Dehnen, 1995) have been performed with the following results.

1. 1. An E7 model with identical amounts of stars of either sense of rotation was stable over 30 tdyn(r=a). This is interesting for the bending instability has been argued to set in at about this flattening and be responsible for the absence of flatter elliptical galaxies (Merritt & Sellwood, 1994).

2. 2. Rapidly rotating E≳E5 models quickly form weak bars inside the cusp, which are stronger for the more flattened, faster rotating initial configurations. The bars grow in a self similar fashion from inside out: the pattern speed decreases with increasing bar length and time. This process is initiated at the origin, where, because of finite AT, the actual density no longer follows the power law, and stops when the edge of the cusp is reached. A typical example is given in the figure showing the z-y-coordinates of particles with |z|<0.1a after ≃20tdyn(r=a) for an initially rapidly rotating E7-model. The bar has axis ratios of about 5:3:1, and extends almost to corotation. However, it has no sharp edge, but an inhomogenous density with a cusp steeper than the initial model. No sign of a buckling insta-bility has been observerd.

NGC 595 is, after NGC 604, the second most luminous H ii region in the Milky Way's neighbouring spiral galaxy M 33. Its Wolf-Rayet star content has mainly been unveiled by two different channels. On the one hand, the stellar population of NGC 595 has been resolved and its WR stars identified through online/off-line H ii λ4686 observations realised with the HST. Nevertheless, due to the limited number of filters used, this did not give any information on the WR spectral subtypes. On the other hand, spectroscopic observations of NGC 595, realised at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths, have enabled the determination of some spectral subtypes, but this time, the lack of angular resolution did not allow to resolve the whole population. Thanks to our photometric technique, based on five dedicated narrow-band filters, we present here a determination of the spectral subtypes of NGC 595 WR stars which for the first time combines high-angular resolution and high-‘spectroscopic’ discrimination capabilities.

Using theoretical models of the planetary nebula populations in galaxies, we investigate whether the current oxygen abundances in bright planetary nebulae can be used to predict the oxygen abundance that persisted in the interstellar medium when star formation stopped. In all galaxies, these models predict that a gap develops between the abundances observed in bright planetary nebulae and those that persisted in the interstellar medium when star formation stopped. This abundance gap depends primarily upon the oxygen abundance achieved in the interstellar medium when star formation stopped, though it also has some sensitivity to the history of star formation. The gap is always less than 0.5dex in these models. For the Milky Way, the predicted abundance gap, 0.14dex, is identical to that observed. The abundance gap magnifies the abundance-related differences between diffuse ellipticals and dwarf irregulars found by Richer & McCall (1995, ApJ, 445, 642). Diffuse ellipticals are confirmed to have larger oxygen abundances than similarly luminous dwarf irregulars, and to have larger [O/Fe] ratios than dwarf irregulars with the same oxygen abundance. The simplest explanation for both of these observations is that diffuse ellipticals formed on shorter time scales than dwarf irregulars. Given this difference in the history of star formation, diffuse ellipticals cannot be the faded remnants of dwarf irregulars.

XSHAPE has been developed to aid the better understanding of the 3D morphologies and kinematics of PNe and novae, by producing models which closely predict the observed 2D images and long-slit spectra of these objects. Early successes include plausible simulations for the elliptical PN Sa 2-21 and the nova HR Del.

In connection with the discussion of the individual symbiotic stars, we present low resolution, flux calibrated spectra and high resolution H α profiles for each of 12 objects.

It is certain, that the mechanism causing variations of the magnetic field and spectral lines in Ap stars must also cause variations in their luminosities. The light curves are synchronous with the magnetic variations and usually the maximum of the positive magnetic field strength coincides with the minimum of the light curve. In the past the oblique rotator theory was not able to explain easily such brightness change. There is no simple reason to suppose, that the brightness of the surface of a star would increase or decrease at one magnetic pole only. Since that time a few stars were found with some indications for secondary minima and maxima in the light curves, but the first established double wave in a light curve was recently found by H. M. MAITZEN and K. D. RAKOš in HD 125 248 (1970), see Figure 1. It is a very exciting result, only the light curve in yellow light shows two maxima and two minima. The light curves in blue and ultraviolet are very smooth and show no evidence for secondary waves.

We have obtained optical spectra and IR photometry in an attempt to determine the orbital parameters of the Aql X-1 system. Spectra from the MMT in October 1995 appear to detect the secondary, but are not sufficient to measure the mass function. IR photometry in and out of mini-outburst find K ~ 15.4, and may indicate that the disk contributionat K is modest during the mini-outburst.

The chemistry of iron meteorites is compared to predictions of the chemical fractionations that develop during the cosmic history of the metal phase, from condensation and accretion through melting, segregation and freezing. Of the 12 resolved iron meteorite groups, 3 appear to have evolved in bodies which accreted at T > 1000° K. In several cases, the core-forming process seems to have ceased prematurely, just as the metal began to melt and flow (group IAB with its silicate inclusions) or after the metal aggregated into pods but before it sank to form a core (group IVA, with groups IIAB and IIIAB being in more advanced stages). The Shaw chondrite contains residual metal from a partial melting process, as required to complement the fractional melts which refroze prematurely in the case of group IAB meteorites.

Searching for globular cluster candidates in nearby galaxies such as M31 is the first step to study the characteristics of extragalactic globular cluster systems. Previous searches for M31 globular clusters were mostly based on visual inspection of photograpic plates. We have selected globular cluster candidates from a wide-field Washington CCD survey of M31, using various methods: color-magnitude diagrams, color-color diagrams, point spread function subtraction and visual inspection of the objects. The efficiency and accuracy of these methods for finding globular clusters are presented.

A third-order solution is developed for the motions of artificial satellites moving in the gravitational field of the Earth, whose potential includes the second-, third-, and fourth-order zonal harmonics. Third-order periodic perturbations with fourth-order secular perturbations are derived by Hori’s perturbations method. All quantities are expanded into power series of the eccentricity, but the solution is obtained so as to be closed with respect to the inclination. A comparison with the results of numerical integration of the equations of motion indicates that the solution can predict the position of a close-earth satellite with a small eccentricity with an accuracy of better than 1 cm over 1 month.

Optical and radio measurements of polarization can be combined to find the configuration of the magnetic field throughout the Crab Nebula. The component in the line of sight is found from the radio rotation measure.

New measurements of polarisation at 11 cm with a resolution of 7′ x 14′ are combined with previous results to show that the rotation measure is fairly uniform and near −25 rad m−2 near the centre, but that it becomes irregular near the edges. It rises to 300 rad m−2 in the filaments, possibly indicating a concentration of electrons about 10–100 cm−3.

This review of the lunar occultation technique summarizes results of 94 diameter measurements for 62 stars. The range of angular diameters measured, the coverage of spectral types, and the wavelengths studied are illustrated and discussedo Comparison with other techniques, magnitude limits and possible future developments are also considered.

The nonlinear evolution of parametric instability of a non-monocrhomatic Alfvén wave is studied using numerical simulations. After a linear stage the instability saturates. For β ~ 1 the initial mode remains dominant, except at large scales, where an inverse cascade of backscattered Alfvénic modes is present. A comparison with solar wind data gives a qualitative agreement, indicating that parametric instability could play an important role in the evolution of solar wind turbulence.

High velocity clouds (HVCs) of neutral atomic hydrogen close to the position of the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) and the Magellanic Stream (Stream) are reviewed. The gas observed at velocities of +70 km/s and +130 km/s in front of the LMC is probably associated with ordinary HVCs in the galactic halo. This is not the case for the gas observed between +150 and +170 km/s which is more likely associated with the MCs. The HVCs observed superimposed onto the Stream are possibly remnants of collisions between a gaseous polar ring around our Galaxy and the bridge region between the MCs. The HVCs found close to and “behind” the tip of the Stream may be regarded as shreds of the Stream precipitating toward the galactic disk. The chemical composition, the radiation field and the temperature in the Stream is discussed in the context of the first spin temperature determination by Wakker (1990), of an HVC.

We study the formation of elliptical galaxies and the bulges of disk galaxies as a result of the collisionless collapse of a rotating star cloud. At small amounts of rotation, this process is accompanied by the bar mode of the radial orbit instability slightly modified by rotation. We refer this case to (giant) ellipticals. For moderate rotation, when the radial orbit instability is suppressed, another mode takes over, which is the direct continuation of a strongly damping mode at the limit of almost radial orbits; it turns into a practically non-damping and long-lived mode (for many revolutions), and even a slowly rotating bar may eventually be formed. It is natural to refer this case to bulges and dwarf elipticals. Then spirals could be formed from the clouds with large amounts of rotation.