We have digitized and processed the daily K-CaII-line full disk spectroheliograms from the archive of the Kodaikanal Observatory during 1907-1995. The programm has been worked out to determine the boundaries of the bright areas (plages, decayed plages, enhanced network features, K-CaII bright points and so on) with contrast that exceeded a level of the quiet Sun on the given value. About the $1.2\,{\times}\,10^6$ K-CaII active regions of different scales were processed. The coordinates, areas, the tilt and latitude-time distributions of bright features were determined. At the high latitudes the K-CaII bright points form a polar branch of solar activity at the period between the polar magnetic field reversals. This polar activity shows both 11-year's and 22-year's cycles. We found that the polar K-CaII bright point cycles proceed on average 5.5 years the sunspot cycles.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

With the substantial improvements in observational techniques we have to deal with very big databases, consisting of a few positions of an object over a short time span; this is often not enough to compute a preliminary orbit with traditional tools. In this paper we first review a classical method by C.F. Gauss to compute a preliminary orbit for asteroids. This method, followed by a least squares fit to improve the orbit, still today gives successful results when we have at least three separate observations. Then we introduce the basics of a very recent orbit determination theory, that has been thought just to be used with modern sets of data. These data allow us in many cases to know the angular position and velocity of an asteroid at a given time, even though the radial distance and velocity $(r,\dot r)$, needed to compute its full orbit, are unknown. The variables $(r,\dot r)$ can be constrained to a compact set, that we call the admissible region(AR), whose definition requires that the body belongs to the Solar System, that it is not a satellite of the Earth, and that it is not a “shooting star” (i.e. very close and very small). We provide a mathematical description of the AR: its topological properties are surprisingly simple, in fact it turns out that the AR cannot have more than two connected components. A sampling of the AR can be performed by means of a Delaunay triangulation; a finite number of six-parameter sets of initial conditions are thus defined, with each node of the triangulation representing a possible orbit (a virtual asteroid).To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Establishing accurate morphological measurements of galaxies in a reasonable amount of time for future big-data surveys such as EUCLID, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope or the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope is a challenge. Because of its high level of abstraction with little human intervention, deep learning appears to be a promising approach. Deep learning is a rapidly growing discipline that models high-level patterns in data as complex multilayered networks. In this work we test the ability of deep convolutional networks to provide parametric properties of Hubble Space Telescope like galaxies (half-light radii, Sérsic indices, total flux etc..). We simulate a set of galaxies including point spread function and realistic noise from the CANDELS survey and try to recover the main galaxy parameters using deep-learning. We compare the results with the ones obtained with the commonly used profile fitting based software GALFIT. This way showing that with our method we obtain results at least equally good as the ones obtained with GALFIT but, once trained, with a factor 5 hundred time faster.

I present a preliminary analysis of IR spectra of five K and M dwarfs and two RS CVn variables. Evidence for significant magnetic flux is found on several stars, a number of which are detected for the first time. Field strengths (B) on the RS CVn variables are lower than in the active dwarfs, consistent with the concept of pressure balance limiting B in stellar photospheres. I compare the results with previous measurements.

We discuss spectroscopic observations of pulsations in the roAp stars γ Equ and HR 1217. In both stars we observe strong variations of rare-earth lines and detect running magneto-acoustic waves, but do not find evidence for a standing pulsational wave. In γ Equ we find strong pulsational variations across line profiles, characteristic of l ≥ 2 modes.

Magnetic Helicity measures basic structural properties of magnetic fields such as twist, shear, linking, writhe, and handedness. It is conserved in ideal MHD and approximately conserved during reconnection. The minimum energy state of a field with a given magnetic helicity is a linear force free field. Helicity plays an important role in MHD turbulence and dynamo theory, and provides a valuable observational tool in solar and space physics. Helicity conservation can be tracked from the solar dynamo to active regions to coronal mass ejections to magnetic clouds in interplanetary space.

The physical origin of high-frequency QPOs (HFQPOs) in black-hole X-ray binaries remains an enigma despite many years of detailed observational studies. Although there exists a number of models for HFQPOs, many of these are simply “notions” or “concepts” without actual calculation derived from fluid or disk physics. Future progress requires a combination of numerical simulations and semi-analytic studies to extract physical insights. We review recent works on global oscillation modes in black-hole accretion disks, and explain how, with the help of general relativistic effects, the energy stored in the disk differential rotation can be pumped into global spiral density modes in the disk, making these modes grow to large amplitudes under certain conditions (“corotational instability”). These modes are robust in the presence of disk magnetic fields and turbulence. The computed oscillation mode frequencies are largely consistent with the observed values for HFQPOs in BH X-ray binaries. The approximate 2:3 frequency ratio is also expected from this model. The connection of HFQPOs with other disk properties (such as production of episodic jets) is also discussed.

The Magellanic Clouds are unique in providing sites to study the interstellar medium (ISM) and its components at all scales. To promote the pursuit of such studies, we have begun the Magellanic Cloud Emission-line Survey (MCELS), a deep imaging survey of both of these nearby galaxies in the emission of Hα, [S II], and [O III]. The emission-line images will be used in detailed optical and multiwavelength studies of H II regions, supernova remnants, planetary nebulae, superbubbles, and supergiant shells. Together with parallel surveys at other wavelengths, this survey will provide the foundation upon which to build a deeper understanding of the ISM in the Clouds and other galaxies, from small scales (~1 pc) all the way up to global scales. We present a sample of recent and current work using the MCELS dataset.

The nature of dark matter is one of the outstanding questions of astrophysics. The internal motions of member stars reveal that the lowest luminosity galaxies in the Local Group are the most dark-matter dominated. New large datasets allow one to go further, and determine systematic properties of their dark matter haloes. We summarise recent results, emphasising the critical role of the dwarf spheroidal galaxies in understanding both dark matter and baryonic processes that shape galaxy evolution.

We review properties of all known collisionally pumped (class I) methanol maser series based on observations with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the Mopra radio telescope. Masers at 36, 84, 44 and 95 GHz are most widespread, while 9.9, 25, 23.4 and 104 GHz masers are much rarer, tracing the most energetic shocks. A survey of many southern masers at 36 and 44 GHz suggests that these two transitions are highly complementary. The 23.4 GHz maser is a new type of rare class I methanol maser, detected only in two high-mass star-forming regions, G357.97-0.16 and G343.12-0.06, and showing a behaviour similar to 9.9, 25 and 104 GHz masers. Interferometric positions suggest that shocks responsible for class I masers could arise from a range of phenomena, not merely an outflow scenario. For example, some masers might be caused by interaction of an expanding Hii region with its surrounding molecular cloud. This has implications for evolutionary sequences incorporating class I methanol masers if they appear more than once during the evolution of the star-forming region. We also make predictions for candidate maser transitions in the ALMA frequency range.

Analysing mid–infrared ISOCAM images of the cluster of galaxies J1888.16CL, we identified among its members several particularly active galaxies with total infrared luminosities well above $10^{11}~\Lo$. If powered by dust enshrouded starbursts, as suggested by their optical spectra, these Luminous Infrared Galaxies would exhibit star formation rates surprisingly high in the cluster environment. The triggering mechanism is unclear but could be tidal collisions within sub-structures or infalling groups.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Recent studies of the nearest star-forming clouds of the Galaxy at submillimeter wavelengths with the Herschel Space Observatory have provided us with unprecedented images of the initial conditions and early phases of the star formation process. The Herschel images reveal an intricate network of filamentary structure in every interstellar cloud. These filaments all exhibit remarkably similar widths - about a tenth of a parsec - but only the densest ones contain prestellar cores, the seeds of future stars. The Herschel results favor a scenario in which interstellar filaments and prestellar cores represent two key steps in the star formation process: first turbulence stirs up the gas, giving rise to a universal web-like structure in the interstellar medium, then gravity takes over and controls the further fragmentation of filaments into prestellar cores and ultimately protostars. This scenario provides new insight into the inefficiency of star formation, the origin of stellar masses, and the global rate of star formation in galaxies. Despite an apparent complexity, global star formation may be governed by relatively simple universal laws from filament to galactic scales.

Using an homogeneous sample of $v\sin i$ values for A-type main sequence stars (Royer et al. 2002), the equatorial velocity ($v$) distributions are determined as function of spectral class, from B9 to F2. The chemically peculiar and binary stars are discarded. These distributions of “normal” stars are discussed in terms of stellar formation and evolution, in particular the remaining bimodality observed for the earliest spectral types of the sample. We show that late B and early A-type main-sequence stars have genuine bimodal distributions of true equatorial rotational velocities probably due to the phenomena of angular momentum loss and of redistribution the star underwent before reaching the main sequence. A striking lack of slow rotators is noticed among intermediate and late A-type stars. The bimodal-like shape of their true equatorial rotational velocity distributions could be due to evolutionary effects.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

We present two 3D Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of the convection-radiation transition layer for both the A and the B component of the α Centauri binary system. Theoretical oscillation spectra are then calculated from stellar evolutionary models that include the effects of turbulence based on the LES simulations. By taking both non-seismic and seismic observational constraints into account we discuss the possibility to probe turbulence beyond standard 5mixing-length-theory in a star other than Sun.

The atmosphere of Venus was discovered for the first time by the Russian scientist Mikhail V. Lomonosov at the St Petersburg Observatory in 1761. Lomonosov detected the refraction of solar rays while observing the transit of the planet across the disk of the Sun. From these observations he correctly inferred that only the presence of refraction in a sufficiently thick atmosphere could explain the appearance of a light (‘fire’) ring around the night disk of Venus during the initial phase of transit, on the side opposite from the direction of motion. Lomonosov described this phenomenon, which carries his name, as the appearance ‘of a hair-thin luminescence’, which encircled a portion of the planet's disk that had not yet contacted the solar disk. He also observed a bulge set up at the edge of the Sun during the egress phase of the Venus transit. ‘This bears witness to nothing less than the refraction of solar rays in the Venusian atmosphere’, he wrote. This paper is based on the original Lomonosov publications and describes historical approaches to the study involving procedure, drawings, and implications.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

I review our knowledge about effective temperatures and masses of massive OB stars paying special attention to results recently obtained using new atmospheric models including sphericity, mass-loss and line-blanketing. The new temperature scales for O dwarfs and supergiants are lower than previously accepted. No systematic mass discrepancy is found among O supergiants, although individual problematic cases still remain. It is shown that model atmospheres give answers consistent with binary systems. Good agreement is found between theoretical predictions and observations of the Wind Momentum-Luminosity relationship for Galactic O-type supergiants. Finally, I review the status of the WLR in M33.

The orbital evolution of the whole sample sample of short-period comets was computed by numerical integrations for a time interval of 2000 yr centered on the present epoch. This data base is intended to serve in various studies involving the statistics of orbital evolution and correlation with physical parameters or discovery circumstances. We present some results concerning the following aspects: the evolution of the orbital elements and their past-future asymmetry, statistics on the discovery of comets and on the encounters of comets with Jupiter.

We review potential mass-loss mechanisms in the various evolutionary stages of massive stars, from the well-known line-driven winds of O-stars and BA-supergiants to the less-understood winds of Red Supergiants. We discuss optically thick winds from Wolf-Rayet stars and Very Massive Stars, and the hypothesis of porosity-moderated, continuum-driven mass loss from stars formally exceeding the Eddington limit, which might explain the giant outbursts from Luminous Blue Variables. We finish this review with a glance on the impact of rapid rotation, magnetic fields and small-scale inhomogeneities in line-driven winds.

Stars in various parts of the HR diagram often have atmospheres in which the departure from the simplest kind of plane-parallel model is largely dominated by a single physical effect. For example, massive stars and giants exhibit symptoms of strong winds and lower Main Sequence stars are very strongly influenced by the presence of deep and energetic envelope convection. Main Sequence A stars, in contrast, appear to display the competing effects of several physical effects of comparable magnitude. The effects which can be detected by observation include large and relatively simple magnetic fields, strong surface convection, pulsation (often in multiple modes), diffusion of specific species under the competing influences of gravity and radiative acceleration, and (more indirectly) internal turbulent mixing, weak winds, and non-thermal heating. This situation makes these stars extremely useful as laboratories to explore and to understand the physics of these various phenomena, and how these effects interact with each other. This review will summarize some of the interconnections that are gradually being understood and emphasize some of the major remaining problems.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

The major stumbling block in the determination of a rotation curve beyond the solar circle has been the lack of a suitable set of objects with well defined and independently measured distances and velocities which can be observed to large galactocentric radii. Two things have changed this situation. The first was the realization that essentially all local HII regions have associated molecular material. The second was the acquisition of reliable distances to the stars exciting a sizable number of HII regions at large galactocentric radii (Moffat, FitzGerald, and Jackson 1979). Because the velocity of the associated molecular gas can be measured very accurately by means of radio observations of CO, we have been able to overcome the past difficulties and have measured the rotation curve of the Galaxy to a galactocentric distance of 18 kpc.