We have compared simple stellar populations (SSPs) generated with different population synthesis tools: BC03, Vazdekis and Pégase.HR and different stellar libraries: ELODIE3.1, SteLib and MILES. We find that BC03/SteLib SSPs are biased toward solar metallicity, however Pégase.HR/ELODIE3.1 and Vazdekis/MILES are extremely consistent. The extensive coverage of the space of atmospheric parameters in the large stellar libraries allows precise synthesis for a large range of ages (0.1 .. 10 Gyr) and metallicities (−2 .. +0.4 dex) limited by the quality of the determination of stellar parameters (temperature scale of the giants).

The central ≈ 80×200 pc of the barred spiral galaxy M83 (NGC 5236) has been observed with the GEMINI-S+CIRPASS configuration which produced 490 spectra with a spectral resolving power of 3200, centered at 1.3 microns, oriented NW-SE. We determine the kinematics of this region with 0.36″ sampling and sub-arcsec resolution. Disk-like motions have been detected in Paβ at parsec scales around: a) the optical nucleus, b) the center of the external K-band isophotes coincident with that of the CO velocity map both also tracing the center of the bulge, and c) a hidden condensation located at (R,θ)=(158pc, 301o). The present resolution allows to detect other minor whirls, not discussed here. The disk around (a) has a radius of ∼8 pc and the two around (b) and (c) can be traced approximately up to 50–60 pc from their kinematical centers.

The rotation curves have been fitted by Satoh like spheroids+disk indicating masses of ≈4× 106M⊙, 60– 70× 106M⊙ and 30– 40× 106M⊙ respectively. Limit to the masses of central BHs can be set by supposing that the central unresolved line broadening inside each condensations is dominated by the BH as far as allowed by the central error bars. The BH +Satoh models were smoothed with a 9 pc Gaussian. The upper mass limit derived for the BH is for (a) ∼ 106 / sin(i)M⊙, and for (b) and (c) 0.2–1.0× 106 / sin(i)M⊙. Many questions arise from this interesting nucleus: are we witnessing a unique phenomenon or simply a barred galaxy with ongoing strong SF in our backyard? Does each one of the condensations host a BH indeed? or is there only one at the bulge center? Which is the fate of this complex scenario?

The main goal of this work is to have a better understanding of the problems and characteristics of photometric surveys with small-sized affordable equipment, like the one available at the Astrophysics Division/INPE, in São José dos Campos, Brazil. The use of low-cost instruments is appealing in the context of the detection of Extrasolar Planets (ESP), in the sense that many observers are available for survey and follow-up programmes. It could also make possible the inclusion of many developing countries in the search for planetary transits. We describe the data collection and analysis procedure for differential photometry of the transit of HD 209458 b, using a small telescope and a commercial CCD camera. According to the HST observations of Brown et al. (2001), the transit produces a box-shaped light curve with 2% depth and 184-min duration. The orbital period is ∼ 3.5 days. The equipment consists of a f/10, 11” Schmidt-Cassegrain Celestron telescope equipped with a SBIG ST7E CCD camera. Since the seeing at the campus is quite poor, we used a focal reducer to produce an effective focal ratio of about f/5, still keeping a good sampling of the PSF but with a larger field of view. The larger field of view allows the simultaneous observation of a relatively bright nearby star, suitable for differential photometry. We discuss the IRAF reduction procedures for the large number of images collected and present the results obtained in the transit of September 8, 2004

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.

Comparing the radii of eclipsing binaries components and single stars we have found a noticeable difference between observational parameters of B0V - G0V components of eclipsing binaries and those of single stars of the corresponding spectral type. This difference was confirmed by re-analyzing the results of independent investigations published in the literature.

We are using full spectrum fitting to determine the ages and metallicities of Galactic clusters (M67 and globular clusters). We find that the method is very accurate to measure the metallicity. Blue horizontal branches are well identified as a ‘young’ sub-component, and the age of the ‘old’ component is in fair agreement with CMD determinations.

This paper describes a new initiative in support of the aim of Commission 46 of the IAU to develop and improve astronomy education at all levels throughout the world. This paper discusses the ideal specification of a facility to support basic astronomy within education programmes which are delivered to students who have access to the Internet. The available robotic telescopes are discussed against this specification and it is argued that the Bradford Robotic Telescope, uniquely, can support many thousands of users in the area of basic astronomy education, and the resource is free.

Access to the Internet is growing in the developing world and this is true in education programmes. This paper discusses the serious problems of delivering to large numbers of students a web based astronomy education programme supported by a robotic telescope as part of a general education. It examines the problems of this form of teaching for teachers who have little experience of working with IT and little knowledge of basic astronomy and proposes how such teachers can be supported.

The current system (http://www.telescope.org/) delivers astronomy education in the language, culture and traditions of England. The paper discusses the need to extend this to other languages, cultures and traditions, although for trainee teachers and undergraduates, it is argued that the current system provides a unique and valuable resource.

One of the key predictions of hierarchical galaxy formation models is that a significant fraction of elliptical galaxies form in late merging events. One of the most important diagnostics of such an assembly is the existence of blue spheroidal galaxies, which have spheroid-dominated morphologies and blue colors indicating recent star formation, as an intermediate step in the evolution of elliptical galaxies.

We review work on the evolution of planetary nebulae and proto-planetaries via magneto-rotational mechanisms showing that a dynamo generated magnetic field can produce the energy and momentum needed to drive pPN and PNe outflows. Angular momentum considerations lead to the conclusion that single stars can not support strong fields for long times. Thus we take the working hypothesis that most PN may form via binary stars. We propose that the grand challenge for PN studies is fully understanding the diverse physical processes at work in binary late stage evolution including the development of disks, fields and outflows.

We present spectral analysis methods suitable for diagnostics of flaring plasma from RESIK spectra. RESIK is the uncollimated bent crystal spectrometer aboard the Russian CORONAS-F solar mission. It collected many flare and active region spectra in the wavelength range 3.3 Å–6.1 Å, where strong emission lines of Si, S, Ar, and K are present. Based on a careful instrument calibration the absolute fluxes in the individual spectral lines have been obtained. These fluxes have been used for determination of a set of thermodynamic parameters characterizing the emitting plasma and for studies their time behavior during selected flares.

We present results of a numerical model for studying the dynamics of Jupiter's equatorial jet. The computed domain is a piece of spherical shell around the equator. The bulk of the region is convective, with a thin radiative layer at the top. The shell is spinning fast, with a Coriolis number = ΩL/V on the order of 50. A prominent super-rotating equatorial jet is generated, and secondary alternating jets appear in the higher latitudes. The roles of terms in the zonal momentum equation are analyzed. Since both the Reynolds number and the Taylor number are large, the viscous terms are small. The zonal momentum balance is primarily between the Coriolis and the Reynolds stress terms.

A recent analysis of HST optical images of 34 nearby early-type active galaxies and of a matched sample of 34 inactive galaxies – both drawn from the Palomar survey – shows a clear excess of nuclear dusty structures (filaments, spirals and disks) in the active galaxies. This result supports the association of the dusty structures with the material which feeds the supermassive black hole (hereafter SMBH). Among the inactive galaxies there is instead an excess of nuclear stellar disks. As the active and inactive galaxies can be considered two phases of the “same” galaxy, the above findings and dust morphologies suggest an evolutionary scenario in which external material (gas and dust) is captured to the nuclear region where it settles and ends up feeding the active nucleus and replenishing the stellar disk – which is hidden by the dust in the active galaxies – with new stars. This evolutionary scenario is supported by recent gas kinematics of the inner few hundred parsecs of NGC 1097, which shows streaming motions (with velocities ∼50 km s−1) towards the nucleus along spiral arms. The implied large scale mass accretion rate is much larger than the one derived in previous studies for the nuclear accretion disk, but is just enough to accumulate one million solar masses over a few million years in the nuclear region, thus consistent with the recent finding of a young circumnuclear starburst of one million solar masses within 9 parsecs from the nucleus in this galaxy.

At Pulkovo Observatory, we conduct observations of various Solar System bodies: major planets, their satellites, comets, and asteroids, including Near Earth Objects. For these purposes, a robotic telescope was constructed on the base of the ZA–320 Mirror Astrograph (D=320 mm, F=3200 mm). It can perform CCD observations of Solar System bodies with the limiting magnitude of up to 19.0.

Independent ephemeris support is provided by the EPOS software package developed at Pulkovo Observatory; it includes tracing of catalogues of comets and asteroids, regular ephemeris calculations, and control of observations. CCD frame processing is done by the Apex automatic data reduction package developed at Pulkovo Observatory.

In 2001-2006, more than 12000 observations of minor Solar System bodies were collected, including more than 6000 positions of 656 NEAs, about 1200 observations of 27 comets, and about 2000 observations of major planets satellites. The mean accuracy of obtained positions is 0″.09−0″.40. Results of observations are regularly submitted to the Minor Planet Center.

Currently, ZA–320M is the 16-th of more than 680 telescopes in the worldwide rating of those that observe NEAs (by the number of observations).

In the near future, our group is planning to start observations with another two robotic telescopes: MTM–500 (D=500 mm, F=4000 mm Maksutov) and 1-meter telescope (D=1000 mm, F=1200 mm) of the Pulkovo mountain station at Northern Caucasus (Kislovodsk, 2100 m above sea level). These two instruments will allow to increase the number of observations, their accuracy, and limiting magnitude (up to 20.5 mag).

Detailed modelling of individual protostellar condensations is important to test the various theories. Here we present comparisons between strongly induced collapse models with one young class-0 object, IRAS4A, in the Perseus cloud and one prestellar cloud observed in the Coalsack molecular cloud.

Considerable effort has been spent to determine the period of tidal circularization in close binaries as a function of age, in order to constrain the tidal dissipation theory. A new, direct method of measuring the tidal dissipation by precise timings of periastron passages in eccentric binaries undergoing circularization is proposed. Such binaries with components just leaving the Main Sequence can be found as inner systems in multiple stars. Three examples are given.

A kinetic analysis is performed here considering close relationship between plasma jets in the solar corona and a consequent acceleration of electrons. Solar jets are formed when a plasma stream is shooted out from a reconnection site. In some cases these jets are temporally and spatially associated with type III radio bursts, the latter being the radio signatures of nonthermal electron beam propagation through the corona. This theoretical work on jet associated type III burst argue the possibility of regarding the plasma jet as a trigger mechanism for electron energization (heating or/and acceleration). While the jet propagates in the solar corona, it creates wave-like disturbances in the background plasma, that are in general unstable. Further on we are interested in how a test electron will behave in such (electrostatic) wave field. The settings for the jet and the test electron are done under typical coronal conditions.

We summarize the results of stellar evolution theory obtained over the past three decades and highlight the points of disagreement with the present-day observational information. Arguments are given to favour stellar models in which the classical treatment of convection and mixing is abandoned and more complex schemes are adopted.

We discuss observational evidence for sequential and triggered star formation in OB associations. We first review the star formation process in the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association, the nearest OB association to the Sun, where several recent extensive studies have allowed us to reconstruct the star formation history in a rather detailed way. We then compare the observational results with those obtained for other OB associations and with recent models of rapid cloud and star formation in the turbulent interstellar medium. We conclude that the formation of whole OB subgroups (each consisting of several thousand stars) requires large-scale triggering mechanisms such as shocks from expanding wind and supernova driven superbubbles surrounding older subgroups. Other triggering mechanisms, like radiatively driven implosion of globules, also operate, but seem to be secondary processes, forming only small stellar groups rather than whole OB subgroups with thousands of stars.

Hydrodynamical simulations played an important role in understanding the dynamics and shaping of planetary nebulae in the past century. However, hydrodynamical simulations were just a first order approach. The new millennium arrived with the generalized understanding that the effects of magnetic fields were necessary to study the dynamics of planetary nebulae. Thus, B-fields introduced a whole new number of physical possibilities for the modeling. In this paper, we review observational work done in the last 5 years and several works on the magnetohydrodynamics of proto-planetary nebulae, since all the effort has been focused on that stage, and discuss different scenarios for the origin of magnetized winds, and the binary-bipolarity relation.

Astronomical education is entering a new stage of development which is closely connected with the development of new technologies for communication, computing and data visualization. We discuss this evolution in the context of astronomy education in Armenia. As students spend only a short time in Byurakan Observatory for training in observations, they are not able to carry out systematic astronomical observations. Hence their training places emphasis on the use of astronomical archives and analysis of observational data obtained previously with the Byurakan telescopes and other ground-based and space telescopes. Thus, one of the aims of the Armenian Virtual Observatory is to support the training of students in this modern context.