This presentation has the following goals: (i) to explain, within a historical context, some of the difficulties in disentangling our Galaxy's three-dimensional structure; (ii) to summarise in broad terms what we presently know of this structure, concentrating on those features inferred from accurate distance measurements; (iii) to illustrate selected aspects in a visually stimulating manner; and (iv) to give a foretaste of the exciting results that lie ahead with future space astrometric experiments. The public lecture given in Preston, UK on 9 June 2004 employed 3-d visualisation techniques using polarised light to illustrate the talk.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Outside the solar disk cool emissions can be recorded. They are inserted into the surrounding hot corona and their properties are still not well known. Emissions from neutral hydrogen can be registred using the well known H-alpha line. With a coronagraph it is possible to record this line through an interference filter broad enough to avoid Doppler effects. In these observations we used a 0.3 nm width filter associated to a 15 cm aperture coronagraph equipped with a 16 bits 1K-CCD camera. The filter is wide enough to excude all usual Doppler shift effects produced during a prominence eruption.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

More than 300000 images of the Sun have been acquired during the SPIRIT experiment with 10 telescopic and spectroheliographic EUV and X-ray instruments aboard the CORONAS-F satellite. We have developed methods and routines for the first-level data processing to make the SPIRIT data easy for use in a way similar to that one for SOHO/EIT images.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

The observations of the bursts with fine structures are one of the best remote sensing probe of the primary energy release sites in solar flares. The Siberian Solar Radiotelescope (SSRT) gives us the unique possibility of direct measurements of their positions with temporal resolution up to 14 ms and spatial resolution of a few arcsec. National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) spectropolarimeters (5.2–7.7 GHz) provide us with the simultaneous spectral data around the SSRT receiving frequency (5.7 GHz). An analysis is made of the subsecond pulses observations: short wide range pulses, U-type microwave bursts, the bursts with zebra pattern.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Radio emissions from the solar active regions can be generated by nonlinear coupling of Langmuir waves with Alfvén waves. Multi-wavelength observations can be used to provide evidence for Langmuir-Alfvén turbulence in the solar atmosphere.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Magnetic coupling relates the energy sources below the photosphere to the structure and dynamics of the chromosphere and corona of the Sun. Multi-wavelength investigations of the solar activity provides the information needed to understand the acting physical mechanisms. Descriptions of magnetic coupling often start with force-free mathematical extrapolations of the photospheric magnetic field. Observations have revealed, however, perpendicular electric current sheets, reconnection and other locally non-force-free structures in chromosphere and corona. Obviously, the solar magnetic coupling includes dynamic forcing due to photospheric plasma motion. We developed a model which though it starts with force-free extrapolated observed photospheric magnetic field additionally takes into account the energy input due to the chromospheric neutral gas and plasma motion. We demonstrate the abilities of our model by applying it to SoHO multi-wavelength observations of an EUV bright point (BP).To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Geometry of the polar magnetic field is changing during the activity cycle. Tangents to polar ray structures are usually crossed near some point below the surface. This point can be named as a “magnetic focus”. The distance $q$ between the focus and the center of the solar disk changes from the maximum value about 0.7 $R_\odot$ at solar minimum activity to the minimum value about 0.5 $R_\odot$ at solar maximum. This behavior has not been understood till now. Really, all tangents to field lines near the pole of the axially symmetric potential magnetic field described by zonal spherical harmonics cross at the same point. However, the greater is the number of a harmonic, the closer to the surface is the crossing point. As far as at activity maximum high harmonics dominate, the behavior of the focuses seems to be in contradiction with the results of the harmonic analysis. We have found that the focus depth changes could be explained by complicated relationship between the harmonics of “new” and “old” cycle near the instant of the polar magnetic field reversal.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

The distance to the Pleiades open cluster is of fundamental importance to many aspects of stellar astrophysics but is currently controversial. The ‘long’ distance scale of $132 \pm 3$ pc is supported by main sequence fitting analyses, ground-based parallax observations and analysis of the astrometric binary Atlas. The ‘short’ distance scale of $120 \pm 3$ pc comes from parallaxes observed by the Hipparcos satellite. Munari et al. (2004) studied the detached eclipsing binary HD 23642 and found a distance of $132 \pm 2$ pc. We reanalyse the data of Munari et al. to explore the different methods of estimating the distance of an eclipsing binary system. We use the surface brightness relations of Kervella et al. (2004) to find a distance of $139 \pm 4$ pc, which is consistent with the ‘long’ Pleiades distance and in disagreement with the Hipparcos parallax distances to the Pleiades and to HD 23642 itself. By comparing the observed masses and radii of the binary with theoretical predictions we derive a metal abundance approximately equal to or slightly greater than solar. Further photometric observations of the binary are needed to improve the analysis.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Four series of coronal images have been obtained by the expedition of Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory during the August 11, 1999 total solar eclipse with the help of the photographic mirror-lens polarimeter (D=150 mm, F=1000 mm). Each series includes three images corresponding to three positions of the polarization analyzer. The position of the solar disk center relative to the Moon's center has been determined beforehand. In addition, the background skylight polarization and intensity are calculated. All measurements are absolute given in units of the sun's average surface brightness. Equatorial electron densities and temperatures are determined. Our data are compared with previous absolute measurements.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

The extended discussion of the Nonlinear MHD Perturbations of the Solar Corona and the Heliosphere has been exposed.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Here we report thermodynamical properties of a a so-called “thermal plume” observed near the solar disc center in 2001. The spectral observations of two iron lines analysed have been obtained using the Vacuum Tower Telescope (Tenerife).To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

This is a preliminary report on the observations of solar irradiance fluctuations with the DIFOS photometer aboard the Russian-Ukrainian satellite CORONAS-F launched in 2001. In addition the parallel ground-based spectral observations (VTT, Tenerife) carried out with the first 20-days observing space campaign are described.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) is a radio astronomy technique that allows imaging and astrometry at milliarcsecond or better resolution. The last decade has seen improvements in VLBI techniques and equipment which have enabled precision astrometry of pulsars. Most notably, VLBI arrays have become more sensitive and calibration has become more accurate. Pulsar astrometry using VLBI can readily yield a proper motion and in many cases a trigonometric parallax as well. These observables have have numerous applications which justify the difficulty of the measurements. The goals of pulsar astrometry include: 1. determination of the distribution of pulsar birth velocities, a critical probe of supernova asymmetry; 2. improvement in understanding of the ISM through observations of pulsar bow shocks, interstellar scattering, and timing dispersion measures; and 3. understanding characteristics of individual pulsars though knowledge of their distance and velocity. I will discuss these science cases, some recent results, and prospects for better astrometry in the near future.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

We explain simulation tools in the JASMINE project (JASMINE simulator). The JASMINE project stands at the stage where its basic design will be determined in a few years. Therefore it is very important to simulate the data stream generated by astrometric fields at JASMINE in order to support investigations of error budgets, sampling strategy, data compression, data analysis, scientific performances, etc. We find that new software technologies, such as Object Oriented (OO) methodologies, are ideal tools for the simulation system of JASMINE (the JASMINE simulator). In this article, we explain the framework of the JASMINE simulator.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Solar flare on 26 June 1999 was accompanied by radio bursts giving an indirect evidence of accelerated superthermal particle beams. It is generally believed that this effect can stimulate an impact linear polarization in Balmer series spectral lines. The flare was observed simultaneously by the Ondřejov Multichannel Flare Spectrograph (MFS) and by the Large Solar Vacuum Telescope (LSVT) using the polarization optics in the H$\alpha$ line. Spectropolarimetric data obtained by the two instruments are analyzed, however no substantial linear polarization was detected. Both spectral and auxiliary data, including radio and X-ray observations are analyzed to discuss possible reasons of the lack of linear polarization.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

We study variations of the solar large-scale magnetic field (LMF) with period $\approx$1.0–1.3 years by observational data of Stanford (1976–2004) and Kitt-Peak (1970–1984).To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Since its launch on 2 December 1995, the joint ESA/NASA SOHO mission has provided a wealth of information about the Sun, from its interior, through the hot and dynamic atmosphere, to the solar wind and its interaction with the interstellar medium. At the same time, SOHO's easily accessible images and movies have captured the imagination of the science community and the general public alike. This article summarizes some of the key findings from 8 years of SOHO.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

The temperature, velocity and magnetic field structures of solar atmosphere are extremely in-homogeneous under consideration on a small spatial scales. This fact is the reason of significant difficulties in the attempts of disambiguous interpretation of observations. Particularly informative for investigation of the complex polarized radiation formation processes in the dynamic solar atmosphere with a fine-structured organization of magnetic fields are the distributions across the solar disk of the amplitude asymmetry ($\delta a$) and area asymmetry ($\delta A$) of Stokes profiles, as well as of the strength ratios $R$ in different combinations of spectral lines. At this paper such information has been obtained using the Stokesmeter of the STOP telescope at the Sayan observatory. It was found that for some Fraunhofer lines the distribution of $R$ has an evident equatorial-polar asymmetry, which is difficult to explain yet. Additionally this paper presents some new results of the theoretical simulation (with different parameters of magnetic flux tubes models and of the medium in their neighborhood) of the center-to-limb variations of $\delta A$ on the example of the FeI $\lambda 525.02$ nm spectral line and of the $R = B_{525.02}/B_{524.70}$. The conclusion is made that a reasonably good agreement theory and experimental data can be achieved, for the time being, only for the central regions of the disk.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

How do you make a sunspot?

Douglass Gough (UK) and Alexander Stepanov(Russia)To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

JASMINE (Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for INfrared Exploration) is a mission to determine positions and parallaxes accurate to $\sim 10$$\mu$arcsec, with proper motion errors $\sim 10$$\mu$arcsec yr$^{-1}$ for Galactic stars observed in the z-band (0.9 $\mu$m). In this article, we report some technical investigations.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html