A survey of radio recombination lines (RRLs) in the Galactic plane (l = 332° − 0° − 89°) near 327 MHz made using the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT) has detected carbon RRLs from all the positions in the longitude range 0° < l < 20° and from a few positions at other longitudes. The carbon lines detected in the survey are, most likely, emission counterparts of the absorption lines observed at frequencies below 150 MHz. Observations towards l = 13°.9, b = 0°.0 indicate that the broader (∼ 38 km s−1) carbon line detected in the lower resolution observation consists of multiple narrow components (∼ 10 km s−1) with different central velocities. The implications of the presence of such narrow components for the modeling of line emission is discussed.

The Maya 2012 prophecy foretells events that will occur at the close of the current Maya ‘era’ and at the end of the 13th BˈAKTUN period of the Maya calendar. This paper explores the mythic and astronomical events that occurred previously at the start of the Maya era in 3114 BC corresponding to the close of the first 13-BˈAKTUN period. These two 13-BˈAKTUN Period Endings, separated by a span of approximately 5125 years, are like two bookends on a single shelf that inextricably link ancient Maya conceptions of time, mythic history and prophecy. The following presentation will demonstrate how in this case, the past is very much prologue. Mythic events and godly actions recorded at the beginning of the era directly parallel those actions that will occur at the end of the era. In addition, new insights will be shared into how ancient Maya scribes linked Era Day events to temple dedications and architecture to reflect the sun's daily solar trek—a journey charted and revered by ancient peoples from all corners of the Americas.

The coronal X-ray emission has been studied in a series of sunpointed Skylark-rocket flights over the period August 1964 to August 1967. Two types of instrument have been used, namely, an array of pinhole cameras, to study the distribution of X-ray sources across the solar disk, and a set of Bragg crystal spectrometers, to examine the detailed spectrum of the emission.

Six rocket flights in all (Skylarks 301, 302, 303, 306, 307, and 406) have provided solar X-ray photographs, covering the wave-band 12–60 Å. The main conclusions of this work may be summarised as follows:

1. (1) Of over twenty separate calcium-plages areas, all those having an area-intensity product greater than 300 were associated with enhanced coronal X-radiation, this ‘threshold’ being merely a function of X-ray camera sensitivity.

2. (2) The plages studied were of from 1st to 4th rotation, indicating the enduring nature of the local coronal X-ray enhancement.

3. (3) Crude spectral analysis, derived from different filters used in a given camera array, showed an increasing contrast between the active region and disk emissions below 25 Å, indicating the probability of the active region coronal material being rather hotter.

4. (4) Photographs of regions on the disk and on the limb showed a typical coronal active region to produce more than 50% of its total X-ray flux from a region within 1 arc minute cube. Electron densities up to 10 times the normal coronal values are required by the measured X-ray brightness of the larger regions.

5. (5) The major part of the emission above 20 Å arises from the (cooler) background corona. Examination of this coronal disk emission revealed strong limb brightening, polar darkening (particularly in the 1964–65 photographs) and a band of slightly enhanced X-radiation near latitude 35 °N. The latter observation was noted on successive flights, in October 1965 and February 1966, and clearly followed the tilt in aspect angle of the solar disk.

Skylarks 304 and 305 were equipped with uncollimated Bragg crystal spectrometers. The former payload, flown in May 1966, revealed strong line emission down to the scan limit at 11 Å. Emission lines of O VII and VIII, Ne IX and X, Fe XVII and XVIII and NI XIX have been identified. All but the O VII series were found to have dominant components arising from a large active region on the solar disk, and an analysis has shown that the complete active-region spectrum is consistent with an electron temperature of 3 million degrees. Intercomparison of the different emission lines indicated coronal abundances of iron, nickel and neon comparable to those derived earlier by Pottasch from an analysis of the solar UV spectrum.

Provisional analysis of the latest flight (Skylark 305 in August 1967), employing crystals of beryl and EDDT in addition to the KAP flown on Skylark 304, has shown strong emission lines of the helium-like ions Mg XI and Si XIII, with weaker but significant intensity in Lyman-α of Mg XII (8·4 Å) and Si XIV (6·2 Å), the latter emission requiring the presence of active region material at a temperature of near 107°K.

We present Doppler images of the accretion disc in the black hole X-ray transient V404 Cyg during its quiescent phase. The Hα map shows evidence for a hot spot, indicating that mass transfer is continuing long after the 1989 outburst. Both the Hα and the IR Ca II emission maps exhibit intense bright spots at the position of the secondary star, which we take as a sign of chromospheric activity. The Ca II emission arises from the outer parts of the accretion disc, and its surface brightness distribution is consistent with dwarf novae discs (I∝R−3/2).

During the past three years the measurement of stellar radial velocities has formed an important part of the spectroscopic programme of most observatories possessing large telescopes. As observations are carried to fainter and fainter stars and the number of observable objects increases rapidly, a natural development has been the selection of special groups and types of stars, the radial velocities of which will aid in the solution of certain specific problems. Illustrations are the studies of the O, B and A type stars made at the Dominion Astrophysical, the Lick, and the Simeis Observatories, of the members of the galactic clusters at the Lick Observatory, and of the fainter Cepheid variables and early-type stars with strong interstellar lines at the Mount Wilson Observatory.

We have performed simultaneous multi-frequency polarization VLBA observations of the compact radio sources 3C 395 and 4C 39.25 which show both stationary and superluminal components in their parsec-scale structures. Those of 3C 395 have been reported elsewhere. Here we report on high resolution maps of the total intensity and polarized radio emission of 4C 39.25, trace the magnetic field configuration along the jet, and explore different possibilities for the nature of the components within the framework of the bent shocked relativistic jet model.

At this time (March 15, 1948), it is possible to make only a preliminary report on the development of the project of International Astronomical Observatories. Excellent discussions of the proposals, in response to an outline by the President of the Commission, have been received from Dr Ira Bowen and Dr Walter Baade (of Mount Wilson and Palomar); Sir Harold Spencer Jones (Greenwich); Dr R. O. Redman (Cambridge, England); Dr Otto Struve (Yerkes and McDonald); Dr Bertil Lindblad (Stockholm); Dr Enrique Gaviola (Córdoba); Dr M. Waldmeier (Zürich); Dr G. A. Shajn (Simeis); Dr Joseph Witkowski (Poznań); Dr B. Lyot (Paris). At my request Dr J. S. Paraskevopoulos, Superintendent of the Harvard South African Station, has reported on South African sites. All these reports should eventually be printed or at least fully summarized and mimeographed for the use of the International Astronomical Union. Of special value are Lyot’s consideration of atmospheric conditions; the arguments of Bowen, Baade, Spencer Jones, and others in favour of a modest beginning with provision for growth when needs and directions are clearer, and Witkowski’s reconsideration of our earlier plan for an International Observatory and Laboratories in southern Europe.

Using Hipparcos and Tycho-2 data, together with the radial velocity information, a statistical analysis is applied to all the orbital solutions of planetary candidates, in order to avoid a bias towards small inclinations. There are hints of additional, longer period companions.

The NOAO Survey for Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies (SINGG) is the largest star formation survey of an H I selected sample. Since the selection is made without regard to optical morphology, it is not biased toward or against “interesting” types of galaxies; thus SINGG is an ideal sample for studying galaxy demographics. Of a sample of 90 extra-galactic sources observed in photometric conditions, all are detected in Hα. This indicates that dormant galaxies, those containing an appreciable ISM but no star formation, are at best rare. We have made first pass morphological surveys for starbursts, as judged by Hα surface brightness, and outflows as judged by extra-planar Hα. We find that about 15% of the sources contain starbursts, with little dependence on the neutral hydrogen mass MHI. Nearly one half of a sample ~ 35 edge-on galaxies show evidence for extra-planar Hα having a scale size of 0.5 Kpc or larger, while nearly one quarter have extra-planar Hα features 1.0 Kpc in size or larger. There is a hint that high MHI systems preferentially have displaced outflows (chimneys, or fountains) while central outflows (galactic winds) preferentially occur in low MHI systems. However, a larger sample (e.g. the full SINGG survey) is needed to confirm this trend.

The present report gives the results on the Hα line profile investigation of two the most well-known A0e Herbig stars of the so-called P Cyg -subgroup: AB Aur and HD 163296. 35 high-resolution CCD spectra (R ~ 50 000) of HD 163296 (ESO, CAT+CES, July 1991 and 1992) and 43 CCD spectra (R ~ 30 000) of AB Aur (Crimean Observatory, 2.6-meter telescope, January 1993) were obtained. A striking profile variability is discovered in both objects on the timescale from one our to a few days. The most dominant part of rapid variations (τ ~ hours) is the monotonous flux drift of different profile components. Positional shift of sharp spectral bumps, found in HD 163296 is probably connected with local inhomogeneities moving in the envelope. Shape variability of the absorption P Cyg -component of the Hα -line in AB Aur is suspected to be periodic with P = 35 or 70 hours. A model for a circumstellar envelope is proposed to explain the observed variability in this type of objects. It supposes the existence of an active non-stable region near the star, formed by equatorially concentrated stellar wind and an outer cool shell.

Huygens is an entry probe designed to descend under parachute through the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. The Huygens Probe is provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan. The Huygens mission will be conducted on the 3rd Orbit around Saturn. The probe will be released around December 25, 2004 for entry in Titan on January 14, 2005. This paper provided an overview of the Huygens mission. The status of the probe and of the mission was reviewed, and opportunities for Titan observations by the Orbiter during the first two orbits were discussed. The Cassini/Huygens mission is a joint undertaking by NASA and ESA, with ASI as a partner via a bilateral agreement with NASA.

Oscillation frequencies were determined for a number of rapidly rotating main sequence stars. However, real seismic probing is still ahead of us. I review here tools that we have for modeling pulsation in rotating stars and their potential application to seismic sounding.

New observations have been made of the [OIII] 5007Å ine profile from the central and outer regions of 6720 in order to study in detail the radial velocity structure of the nebula. This data was obtained using a Fabry-Perot Interferometer working at a resolution of 67,000. The line profile is clearly s p l i t in the centre indicating the presence of a gaseous envelope surrounding, and in radial expansion from, the central star at avelocity of 25 ±5 km/sec. Irregularities in the emission intensities indicate local patchiness in this shell.

Stars are the main ingredients of galaxies, and the sites of the creation of most chemical elements in our universe. The knowledge that we gain from studying nearby resolved stellar populations assists directly our ability to measure the properties of distant galaxies. The overall objective of this project is to study galaxy formation and evolution in a complete environment of the dwarf galaxies in the Local Group, by using the same methods for all of them. For that purpose, we used the INT to conduct a monitoring survey of the majority of Local-Group dwarf galaxies in order to identify the most evolved AGB stars that are long-period variables (LPV). LPV stars reach their maximum brightness amplitudes at optical wavelengths, owing to changes in temperature. They trace stellar populations as young as ∼30 Myr up to as old as ∼10 Gyr, and identifying them is one of the best ways of reconstructing star-formation history using a method that we have developed and applied successfully to other Local-Group galaxies. Since the luminosity variations span 100–1000 days, we planned observations over 10 epochs, spaced ∼3 months apart; 9 epochs of data have so far been obtained.

Our knowledge of the ionization structure of gaseous nebulae may be dated from the classic paper of Strömgren (1939), who showed that the transition between ionized and neutral hydrogen is sharp. In fact the very sharpness of the transition region has at last become a difficulty. Another milestone was the paper of Hummer and Seaton (1964) which clarified the structure of nebulae containing helium as well as hydrogen. Then, just a decade ago, the first models of planetary nebulae were constructed which detailed the changes in the temperature and in the ionization of the heavy elements as the stellar radiation was progressively diminished by absorption in the nebular gas (Goodson, 1967 Harrington, 1968; Williams, 1968; Flower, 1969a). These first models were of a general nature, but soon models were constructed to match specific nebulae (Flower, 1968, 1969b; Harrington, 1969; Kirkpatrick, 1970).

Statistical studies of active galaxies (both AGN and Starburst) using large multi-wavelength data are presented, including new studies of Markarian galaxies, large sample of IR galaxies, variable radio sources, and large homogeneous sample of X-ray selected AGN. Markarian survey (the First Byurakan Survey) was digitized and the DFBS database was created, as the biggest spectroscopic database by the number of objects involved ( ~ 20 million). This database provides both 2D images and 1D spectra. We have carried out a number of projects aimed at revealing and multi-wavelength studies of active galaxies among optical, X-ray, IR and radio sources. Thousands of X-ray sources were identified from ROSAT, including many AGN (52% among all identified sources). IRAS PSC/FSC sources were studied having accurate positions from WISE and a large extragalactic sample was created for further search for AGNs. The fraction of active galaxies among IR-selected galaxies was estimated as 24%. Variable radio sources at 1.4 GHz were revealed by cross-correlation of NVSS and FIRST catalogues using the method introduced by us for optical variability. Radio-X-ray sources were revealed from NVSS and ROSAT for detection of new active galaxies. Big Data in astronomy is described that provide new possibilities for statistical research of active galaxies and other objects.

We present a matched-filter, surface density map of the “300 km/s” stream recently discovered in the vicinity of the ultrafaint dwarf galaxy Segue 1.

The business session of the Working Group followed the completion of Special Session 7, Astronomy in Antarctica. The proceedings of this meeting are published in Highlights in Astronomy, Volume 14 (Ed. K. A. van der Hucht, 2007, CUP). The session involved 18 papers spread over 5 sessions, together with a further 18 poster papers. A dinner was also held in Prague following the first day of the Special Session.

The origin of homochirality is one of the longest-standing puzzles in understanding the origins of life. In the laboratory, illumination by circularly polarised UV radiation (asymmetric photolysis) is an effective means of producing an enantiomeric excess in an otherwise racemic mix of chiral molecules. In the natural world, however, it has proven difficult to identify a suitable source of Circularly Polarised Light (CPL). Recent observations of L-excesses of 2–9% for a number of α-methyl amino acids in the Murchison meteorite and our discovery of large degrees of CPL in some star forming regions has added weight to the suggestion that the origin of homochirality is extra-terrestrial. Here we report initial modelling of the production of that CPL.

The Washington Multiplicity Catalog (WMC) project is an effort to address the often conflicting nomenclature schemes used by astronomers in different fields of double and multiple star research, by compiling a catalog of all known binary and multiple systems, then assigning a consistent (insofar as possible) component designation to each component. Components are treated in the same manner whether stellar or sub-stellar (e.g., brown dwarf, exosolar planet) in nature. This effort was begun shortly before the 2000 IAU General Assembly in Manchester, UK. A sample version of the planned catalog was presented at IAU Colloquium 191, held in Mérida, México in February 2003, and a modified version of this sample will be presented at the July 2003 GA in Sydney, Australia. Finally, if the nomenclature and catalog format are agreed upon, a full-sky version of the catalog will be created in time for the 2006 GA in Prague.