In this contribution Gemini-North NIRI J,K-observations are used to investigate the upper-Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) intermediate-age population in the M81 Group dwarf elliptical (dE) F8D1. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) ‘snapshot’ V,I-observations are also analysed to investigate the upper-AGB populations in two other M81 Group dEs, DDO 71 and kk077. In all three dEs, significant intermediate-age populations are found. Further, there are sizeable dE-to-dE differences in these populations: F8D1 contains relatively more, and relatively more luminous, upper-AGB stars. These results are compared with existing information for Local Group and Sculptor group dwarfs. It is suggested that ‘environmental harrassment’ plays an important role in governing dwarf galaxy evolution.

Digital images were made of Bamberg Observatory Sky Patrol plates of the field surrounding the active-chromosphere star CF Octantis (HD 196818). These images, taken with an inexpensive camera, were analysed using standard aperture photometry techniques. Good agreement was found with catalogued photographic magnitudes for stars in the range mpg ∼8.5 to ∼10.5. The root-mean-square deviations in the measured differences for non-variable field stars was found to be of order 0.10 mag, although a small number of larger differences occurred. For CF Oct, a period search of data from 1966 recovered the known 20 d variation due to starspot rotational modulation, with a range of variation of order 0.5 mag photographic. For active-chromosphere stars with moderately large photometric variations (>∼0.3 mag), and moderate to long rotation periods (>∼1 week), careful analysis of similarly obtained digital copies of archive plates may provide valuable insights into historical actvity.

We use standard general relativity to illustrate and clarify several common misconceptions about the expansion of the universe. To show the abundance of these misconceptions we cite numerous misleading, or easily misinterpreted, statements in the literature. In the context of the new standard ΛCDM cosmology we point out confusions regarding the particle horizon, the event horizon, the ‘observable universe’ and the Hubble sphere (distance at which recession velocity = c). We show that we can observe galaxies that have, and always have had, recession velocities greater than the speed of light. We explain why this does not violate special relativity and we link these concepts to observational tests. Attempts to restrict recession velocities to less than the speed of light require a special relativistic interpretation of cosmological redshifts. We analyze apparent magnitudes of supernovae and observationally rule out the special relativistic Doppler interpretation of cosmological redshifts at a confidence level of 23σ.

We discuss our work on chemical abundance ratios of stars belonging to the thick-disk and thin-disk stellar populations. We discuss the selection of stars, and show that the two samples of stars have different [α/Fe] versus [Fe/H] behaviour.

Recent observational evidence suggests that the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy represents the only major ongoing accretion event in the Galactic halo, accounting for the majority of stellar debris identified there. This paper summarises the recent discovery of another potential Milky Way accretion event, the Canis Major dwarf galaxy. This dwarf satellite galaxy is found to lie just below the Galactic plane and appears to be on an equatorial orbit. Unlike Sagittarius, which is contributing to the Galactic halo, the location and eventual demise of Canis Major suggests that it represents a building block of the thick disk.

A large scale 12CO J = 1 → 0 molecular line map of the Carina molecular cloud complex was obtained with the Mopra radio telescope in order to investigate its spatial and kinematic structure. The data show a complex velocity structure in two distinct cloud regions — the Northern and Southern Carina clouds. Two different clump identification methods (GAUSSCLUMPS and CLUMPFIND) were applied to the data. Though both algorithms find a similar clump mass spectral index (1.95 and 1.8, respectively), the properties of the clumps (mass, size, virial equilibrium) differ significantly. We discuss possible explanations for this discrepancy and question the validity of the Larson relations which could be an artifact of the limited spatial resolution and dynamic range of the observations.

Large-scale surveys provide new constraints on the structure and evolution of the Milky Way. The population synthesis approach is a useful tool to interpret such data sets and to test scenarios of evolution of the Galaxy. New constraints on Galactic parameters have been obtained from the Besançon model of population synthesis, in particular in the inner regions, thanks to near-infrared surveys less affected by interstellar extinction than the optical ones. We present here a few preliminary comparisons between observed and simulated distributions of proper motions in the direction of the Galactic bulge. Next we discuss how bulge stars can be observed and separated from other populations with the RAVE and Gaia surveys.

Cosmological simulations of disk galaxy formation, when compared to the observed Tully–Fisher relation, suggest a low mass to light (M/L) ratio for the stellar component in spirals. We show that a number of 'bottom-light' initial mass functions (IMFs) suggested independently in the literature, do imply M/L ratios as low as required, at least for late type spirals (Sbc–Sc). However the typical M/L ratio, and correspondingly the zero point of the Tully–Fisher relation, is expected to vary considerably with Hubble type.

Bottom-light IMFs tend to have a metal production in excess of what is typically estimated for spiral galaxies. Suitable tuning of the IMF slope and mass limits, post-supernova fallback of metals onto black holes or metal outflows must then be invoked, to reproduce the observed chemical properties of disk galaxies.

We review the evidence that the ultra-compact dwarf (UCD) galaxies we recently discovered in the Fornax Cluster form a new, previously unknown class of galaxies and we discuss possible scenarios for their formation. We then present recent results that UCDs are also present in the Virgo Cluster, and that there is a much larger than expected population of fainter UCDs in the Fornax Cluster. The size and properties of this population may lead us to revise our original ‘galaxy threshing’ hypothesis for the formation of UCDs.

A new set of software applications and libraries for use in the archival and analysis of pulsar astronomical data is introduced. Known collectively as the psrchive scheme, the code was developed in parallel with a new data storage format called psrfits, which is based on the Flexible Image Transport System (FITS). Both of these projects utilise a modular, object-oriented design philosophy. psrchive is an open source development environment that incorporates an extensive range of c++ object classes and pre-built command line and graphical utilities. These deal transparently and simultaneously with multiple data storage formats, thereby enhancing data portability and facilitating the adoption of the psrfits file format. Here, data are stored in a series of modular header–data units that provide flexibility and scope for future expansion. As it is based on FITS, various standard libraries and applications may be used for data input, output, and visualisation. Both psrchive and psrfits are made publicly available to the academic community in the hope that this will promote their widespread use and acceptance.

Recent years have seen a series of large-scale photometric surveys with the aim of detecting substructure in nearby dwarf galaxies. Some of these objects display a varying distribution of each stellar population, reflecting their star formation histories. Also, dwarf galaxies are dominated by dark matter, therefore luminous substructure may represent a perturbation in the underlying dark material. Substructure can also be the effect of tidal interaction, such as the disruption of the Sagittarius dSph by the Milky Way. Therefore, substructure in dwarf galaxies manifests the stellar, structural, and kinematic evolution of these objects.

The energy dissipated by virialisation shocks during hierarchical structure formation of the Galaxy can exceed that injected by concomitant supernova (SN) explosions. Cosmic rays (CRs) accelerated by such shocks may therefore dominate over SNe in the production of 6Li through α + α fusion without co-producing Be and B. This process can give a more natural account of the observed 6Li abundance in metal-poor stars compared to standard SN CR scenarios. Future searches for correlations between the 6Li abundance and the kinematic properties of halo stars may constitute an important probe of how the Galaxy and its halo formed. Furthermore, 6Li may offer interesting clues to some fundamental but currently unresolved issues in cosmology and structure formation on sub-galactic scales.

I present measurements of the projected rotational velocities of a sample of 100 early B-type main-sequence stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This is the first extragalactic study of the distribution of stellar rotational velocities. The sample is drawn from two sources: from the vicinity of the main-sequence turnoff of young clusters (ages 1–3 × 107 yr) and from the general field. I find that the cluster population exhibits significantly more rapid rotation than that seen in the field. I have drawn analogous Galactic cluster and field samples from the literature. Comparison of these samples reveals the same effect. I propose that the observed difference between cluster and field populations can be explained by a scenario of evolutionary enhancement of the surface angular momentum over the main-sequence lifetime. A comparison is made between the cluster and field populations of the LMC and the Galaxy in order to explore the effects of metallicity. This shows that the stars of the LMC are more rapid rotators than their Galactic counterparts.

Using stellar population synthesis techniques, we explore the photometric signatures of white dwarf progenitor dominated galactic halos, in order to constrain the fraction of halo mass that may be locked up in white dwarf stellar remnants. We first construct a 109 M⊙ stellar halo using the canonical Salpeter initial stellar mass distribution, and then allow for an additional component of low- and intermediate-mass stars, which ultimately give rise to white dwarf remnants. Microlensing observations towards the Large Magellanic Cloud, coupled with several ground-based proper motion surveys, have led to claims that in excess of 20% of the dynamical mass of the halo (1012 M⊙) might be found in white dwarfs. Our results indicate that (1) even if only 1% of the dynamical mass of the dark halo today could be attributed to white dwarfs, their main sequence progenitors at high redshift (z ≈ 3) would have resulted in halos more than 100 times more luminous than those expected from conventional initial mass functions alone, and (2) any putative halo white dwarf progenitor dominated initial mass function component, regardless of its dynamical importance, would be virtually impossible to detect at the present day, due to its extremely faint surface brightness.

The HI content of Hickson Compact Groups in the southern hemisphere is measured using data from the HI Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS), and dedicated observations using the narrow band filter on the Multibeam instrument on the Parkes telescope. The expected HI mass of these groups was estimated using the luminosity, diameter, and morphological types of the member galaxies, calibrated from published data. Taking careful account of non-detection limits, the results show that the compact group population that has been detected by these observations has an HI content similar to that of galaxies in the reference field sample. The upper limits for the undetected groups lie within the normal range; improvement of these limits will require a large increase in sensitivity.

I discuss the origin of the Tully–Fisher law in the context of the observed scaling laws for dark halos.

We study the effect of different star formation regimes on the dynamical and chemical evolution of IZw18, the most metal-poor dwarf galaxy locally known. To do that we adopt a two-dimensional hydrocode coupled with detailed chemical yields originating from Type II and Type Ia supernovae and from intermediate-mass stars. Particular emphasis is devoted to the problem of mixing of metals. We conclude that, under particular conditions, cooling of metals occurs with a timescale of the order of 10 Myr, thus confirming the hypothesis of instantaneous mixing adopted in chemical evolution models. We try to draw conclusions about the star formation history and the age of the last burst in IZw18.

Astronomy and cosmology have a substantial observational and theoretical basis, but our standard model still depends on some working assumptions. I comment on the nature of the issues behind these assumptions, the guidance we might find from past resolutions of such issues, and the models we might consider for the future of research in this subject.

This paper presents (Hα + [Nii]) imaging and spectroscopy of a previously unknown, highly evolved planetary nebula of low excitation which is in the first stages of an interaction with the interstellar medium (ISM). It was discovered serendipitously from AAO/UKST Hα Survey images as part of a project to exploit the survey data and has evaded detection by previous surveys due to its very low surface brightness. It is a remarkable hollow-sphere planetary nebula, some 19´ across, making it one of the largest examples of its type. We estimate a radius of 1.5 pc and a distance of 550 pc as derived from a new Hα surface brightness–radius relation. PFP 1 has near-perfect circular symmetry, broken only at the north-western edge which is coupled with significantly increased (Hα + [Nii]) intensity, both of which provide evidence for an interaction with the ISM. We find a near solar composition for this object with possibly enhanced He and N abundances. A blue central star candidate has been identified from the SuperCosmos Sky Survey data.