We apply the Boltzmann-Plot (BP) method to the Balmer lines to estimate the physical propertiesin the Broad Line Region of Active Galactic Nuclei. We study the Balmer lines of a sample of 90 AGN from Sloan Digital Sky Survey database, as well as the time variability of the BP parameter A of NGC 5548.

We discuss the build-up of the colour-magnitude relation. The colour-magnitude relation first appears at the bright end and the faint end appears later. Interestingly, the build-up of colour-magnitude relation is delayed in low density environments. We suggest that galaxies follow the environment-dependent down-sizing evolution.

Observations of cosmic microwave background temperature and polarization fluctuations are sensitive to both physical conditions at recombination (z = 1100) and physical process along the line of sight. I will discuss recent results from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and planned ground and space-based observations. The talk will emphasize the role of CMB observations in determining the initial conditions for the growth of structure and as a probe of the physics of re-ionization.

We study linear polarization from scattering of light on a cloud of relativistic electrons. We assume that the cloud is hovering above an accretion disc, or it is in an accelerated motion underthe combined influence of the radiation and gravitational fields near an accreting black hole. Atfirst we derive simple and general analytical formulae for the Stokes parameters. These formulae are then used in calculations of the temporal evolution of the observed signal.

We find that higher-order images can significantly enhance the observed flux. Possible targets where the effect should be searched are accreting super-massive black holes and Galactic microquasars exhibiting episodic accretion/ejection events.

The debate regarding the number of dust-reddened quasars has been ongoing for several years. Selecting quasars based on a UV excess will exclude any quasar that has an SED that departs from the standard power-law or is experiencing obscuration from dust. As longer wavelengths are less affected by dust attenuation, it is advantageous to select quasar candidates in the NIR, but until now, there did not exist a dataset of sufficient depth and coverage suitable for undertaking such an experiment.

During the immediate post-Soviet period, the main infrastructure of astronomy over the territory of the former Soviet Union (FSU) was saved, in spite of dramatic decreases in financial support. Overall the situation for FSU astronomy is now stable. In Latvia, the 32-m radio-dish is in working order. This allows it to participate in VLBI programmes. In Russia, all three 32-metre radio dishes of the QUASAR VLBI system are operational, as well as the 2-m telescope with a high-resolution spectrograph (up to resolution R≃ 500 000) and the horizontal solar telescope (R= 320 000) of the Russian-Ukrainian Observatory on Peak Terskol (Caucasus, altitude 3100 m). However the situation with the observatory itself is worrying, because of the regional authorities' attempt to privatize its infrastructure.

The process of equipping a number of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (including Russian) observatories with CCD-cameras is in progress. To solve staff problems, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have begun to prepare national specialists in astronomy, and the Baltic States, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Ukraine continue to prepare astronomers.

Teaching of astronomy at schools is obligatory only in the Ukraine and partially in the Baltic states. To maintain a “common astronomical area”, the Eurasian Astronomical Society (EAAS) continues its programme of reduced-price subscription to Russian-language astronomical journals and magazines in the territory of FSU, the organization of international conferences and Olympiads for school students, and lectures for school teachers and planetarium lecturers, etc.

Telescopes in Russia and other CIS territories permit to monitor an object more then 12 hours and can be used in global monitoring programmes. The Central Asian sites have some of the very best astro-climates in the world. They are similar to (or a little better than) the well known Chilean sites (median seeing 0.7′′, very high fraction of clear nights, no light pollution and no high wind). It is imperative that these sites be protected and intensively used by the international astronomical community.

Starting from 2.5D MHD modelling of solar flares on a global scale we calculate (using the PIC and test-particle simulations) the radio and X-ray emissions generated in solar flare reconnection. Our results – the radio and X-ray spectra and brightness distributions, and their dynamics – are directly comparable with observations providing thus a test of particle acceleration models as well as of the ‘standard’ global flare scenario.

Increasingly, large surveys of the sky in multiple wavelength bands are becoming an important part of how astronomy is being done. These surveys produce huge homogeneous datasets, and as such are prime material for dissemination and analysis through the VO. As an example, the KIDS survey (see Fig. 1), which will map 1500 square degrees of sky in ugriZYJHK using ESO's VST and VISTA telescopes, and which is expected to start in 2007, will generate some 15 TB of pixel data, as well as several TB of derived source parameters. More than 100 TB of raw data will have to be processed.

We present the results of a study of the evolution of the optical and near-IR colors and mass-to-light ratios (M/L) of early-type galaxies from z~ 1 to the present. This exercise is relevant for studies that use photometry of galaxies to infer properties such as stellar masses and star formation histories through comparison with stellar population models. We have dynamical M/L for a sample of 20 early types at z~ 1 with velocity dispersions from deep optical spectroscopy and structural parameters (size and surface brightness) from high-resolution HST imaging. We compare those with 23 early-type galaxies in the Coma Cluster at z=0.02. For both samples rest-frame optical/near-IR photometry is available, from HST and Spitzer in the case of the z~ 1 sample. We find that the M/L evolves faster in the near-IR than expected from most stellar population models, and also that predictions from different models can differ significantly in the near-IR. As a consequence, there is a systematic uncertainty of a factor of two in stellar mass estimates from near-IR photometry for evolved, high-z galaxies. Optical colors provide a less biased indicator of the M/L. Agreement among the models is required before near-IR photometry can be used as a robust tool to estimate galaxy masses without systematic uncertainties.

The regular CCD observations of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) in the Institute of Astronomy of Kharkiv National University were initiated in 1995 within the framework of asteroid hazard problem in collaboration with the DLR, Institute of Planetary Research (Berlin). The main aim of the study is a determination of rotation periods and shapes of NEAs as well as astrometry of newly discovered objects. We also carry out the absolute photometry of NEAs in BVRI bands in order to put constraints on surface properties and to estimate their diameters. The observations are carried out with 0.7-m telescope of the Institute of Astronomy (Kharkiv) and with 1-m telescope of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (Simeiz) in the standard Johnson-Cousins photometric system. Some observations were made as an optical support of radar observation of NEAs. We present the results of photometric observations of 21 NEAs obtained in 2004-2006 which include asteroid rotation properties, diameters and shapes.

Modelling rich star clusters is at an exciting time, now that detailed star-by-star modelling of all open star clusters has become possible. We should renew attention to the modelling of globular star clusters, to enable us to exploit the flood of excellent observational data now available. At the same time, new ideas in star cluster astrophysics require us to broaden the realism of our modelling in various directions.

We present INPOP06: a new planetary ephemeris.

HI observations at sufficiently high spatial and velocity resolution have revealed a wealth of structures such as shells and bubbles in the ISM of late–type galaxies. These structures are filled with metal–enriched, coronal gas from SNe which, through overpressure, powers their expansion. Material swept up by these expanding shells can go “critical” and form subsequent (secondary or propagating) star formation. Shells that grow larger than the thickness of the gas layer will blow out of the disk, spilling enriched material into the halo (or in the case of violent starbursts, the Intergalactic Medium). We review what has been achieved to date and present some first results of a major project based on THINGS (The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey), which aims to extend studies of the ISM in galaxies to 34 nearby systems (<10 Mpc), all observed to the same exacting standards (resolution 6″ × 5 km s−1, or better; typical detection threshold of ~5 × 1019 atom cm−2).

Classifying Object by Medium-Band Observations in 17 filters (COMBO-17) has already produced a very accurate picture of galaxy evolution since z~1 based on 25000 galaxies in 17 medium optical bands. We now extend the range of reliable multi-color redshifts with COMBO-17+4, a deep optical-NIR survey which will combine the existing optical data set of COMBO-17 with near infrared observation in three medium bands: Y(λ/Δλ = 1040/80nm), J1(1190/130nm) and J2(1320/130nm) and one broad band H(1650/300nm). The NIR bands extend the photometric redshift range to z~2.1. COMBO 17+4 will provide the first large sample of galaxies (>5000) at 1<z<2 with a redshifts accuracy of Δz<0.03(1+z). Three fields are observed: Abell 901, Abell 226 and the COMBO 11h-field, for a total coverage of 0.77□2 of the sky. Each COMBO 17+4 field measures 31 × 30 sqarcmin. The NIR bands are observed with the Omega2000 camera at Calar Alto Observatory in Spain.

The scientific goals for this study are multiple. COMBO-17+4 will enable us to establish the luminosity function for the red sequence and blue galaxies in the redshift range 1<z<2. Also it will be possible to determine the formation history at z=2 by analyzing the width of the red sequence galaxies. Moreover this survey will provide several thousand of individual galaxy masses (with an accuracy <30%) obtained with Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) template fitting. Once the masses are obtained the mass function will provide a useful tool to test the hierarchical model of evolution of galaxies by checking whether the massive red sequence galaxies (logM>10.5) are already in place at z>1.5 (9Gyr).

We present first results from the full 21 bands photometry in half of the Abell 901 field. It allows us to study not only z>1 galaxies but also the stellar content of several hundred cluster galaxies.

Andromeda galaxy (M31,NGC224) is the biggest spiral in the Local Group. By studying the star formation history(SFH) and chemical evolution of M31, and comparing with the Milky Way Galaxy, we are able to understand more about the formation and evolution of spiral galaxies.

RNO91 is class II source currently in a transition phase between a protostar and a main-sequence star. It is known as a source of complex molecular outflows. Previous studies suggested that RNO91 was associated with a reflection nebula, a CO outflow, shock-excited H2 emission, and disk type structure. But the geometry of RNO91, especially its inner region, is not well confirmed yet. High resolution imaging is needed to understand the nature of RNO91 and its interaction with outflow. Thus, we conducted near-infrared imaging observations of RNO91 with the infrared camera CIAO mounted on the Subaru 8.2-m Telescope. We presented JHK band and optical images which resolved a complex asymmetrical circumstellar structure. We examined the color of RNO91 nebula and compared the geometry of the system suggested by our data with that already proposed on the basis of other studies. Our main results are as follows; 1. The K-band images show significant halo emission detected within ~2″ around the peak position while less halo emission is seen in shorter wavelength images such as J and optical. The nebula appears to become more circular and more diffuse with increasing wavelengths. The cut-off at 300AU derived from our radial surface brightness is consistent with the size of the polarization disk suggested by Draper & Tadhunter (1993). These consistencies indicate that this optically thick region is attributed to a disk-like structure.

2. At J and optical, several bluer knot-like structures are detected around and beyond the halo emission. These bluer knots seen in our images are comparable to the size of the envelope detected in HCO+ emission surrounding RNO91 (Lee & Ho 2005). It is thus natural to suggest that these bluer knots are the near-infrared light scattered by an envelope structure which is disrupted by molecular outflows.

3. The pseudo-true color composite image has an appearance of arc-shaped emission extending to the north and to the east through RNO91. On the counter part of this arc-shaped structure, the nebula appears to become more extended to the southwest from the central peak position in J band and optical images. We interpret these whole structures as a bottom of bipolar cavity seen relatively edge-on opening to the north and south directions.

We present an overview of our work on shape and spin state determination of asteroids from photometric data sparse in time. Our results are based on simulations that were performed using realistic shape and light-scattering models and time sequences that will be provided by Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System). We show some typical examples of physical model reconstruction of main belt and near-Earth asteroids and discuss the lightcurve inversion of slow and fast rotators, binary asteroids and tumbling asteroids. We emphasize the scientific potential of sparse photometric data to produce models of a large number of asteroids within the next few years.

The process of accretion onto the isolated black holes under the various conditions of the ISM and its observational manifestations are discussed. For the majority of the Galaxy volume the accretion rate is as low as 10−6–10−9 of Eddington one, and the accretion is spherically-symmetric. Such objects manifest itself as a weak optical and x-ray sources with featureless spectra and the significant variability of the emission.

For the BH located inside the dense molecular cloud the regime of accretion depends on its massand velocity. A massive (100–1000M⊙) BH born in the cloud or having low relative velocity, may manifest itself as a ultra-luminous x-ray source (ULX).

The IAU Joint Discussion 16 was held at the IAU XXVI General Assembly in Prague, in August 2006. The title of the meeting was Nomenclature, Precession and new models in Fundamental Astronomy. Applications and scientific contribution to astronomy. It was organized by IAU Division I (Fundamental Astronomy) and Commission 19 (Earth Rotation), with the participation of IAU Division, X (Radio Astronomy) and all the Division, I Commissions, as well as with the support of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG). The Scientific Organizing Committee was made up of the three organizers and the representatives of these scientific bodies.

A large population of helium-core-burning clump stars of the Galactic field, revealed by the Hipparcos orbiting observatory, is an excellent target for the analysis of mixing processes in evolved low-mass metal-abundant stars. In this contribution we overview first result of 12C, 13C, N and O abundance determinations in our extensive project which we started with the aim at deriving the fundamental parameters and abundances of more than 20 chemical elements in a large sample of Galactic clump stars.