We review the observational evidences concerning the three-dimensional structure of the Galactic bulge. Although the inner few kpc of our Galaxy are normally referred to as the bulge, all the observations demonstrate that this region is dominated by a bar, i.e., the bulge is a bar. The bar has a boxy/peanut (X-shaped) structure in its outer regions, while it seems to become less and less elongated in its innermost region. A thinner and longer structure departing from the main bar has also been found, although the observational evidences that support the scenario of two separate structures has been recently challenged. Metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] ≲ −0.5 dex) trace a different structure, and also have different kinematics.

The Hubble constant, H0, or its dimensionless equivalent, “little h”, is a fundamental cosmological property that is now known to an accuracy better than a few per cent. Despite its cosmological nature, little h commonly appears in the measured properties of individual galaxies. This can pose unique challenges for users of such data, particularly with survey data. In this paper we show how little h arises in the measurement of galaxies, how to compare like-properties from different datasets that have assumed different little h cosmologies, and how to fairly compare theoretical data with observed data, where little h can manifest in vastly different ways. This last point is particularly important when observations are used to calibrate galaxy formation models, as calibrating with the wrong (or no) little h can lead to disastrous results when the model is later converted to the correct h cosmology. We argue that in this modern age little h is an anachronism, being one of least uncertain parameters in astrophysics, and we propose that observers and theorists instead treat this uncertainty like any other. We conclude with a ‘cheat sheet’ of nine points that should be followed when dealing with little h in data analysis.

If there were no solar magnetic fields, then the most active feature observable on the Sun would be the hydrodynamic convection. There would be no sunspots, flares, prominences, plage, spicules, and no copious emissions of X-rays, energetic particles or radio bursts. These effects are all due to the presence of a changing pattern of magnetic fields which repeats every 22 years. While observations of electromagnetic phenomena are limited to the solar surface and atmosphere, a full understanding of these effects must include a satisfactory theory of the solar cycle and of the fields which evolve beneath the surface as a result of plasma velocity fields.

The Variables and Slow Transients Survey (VAST) on the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) is designed to detect highly variable and transient radio sources on timescales from 5 s to $\sim\!5$ yr. In this paper, we present the survey description, observation strategy and initial results from the VAST Phase I Pilot Survey. This pilot survey consists of $\sim\!162$ h of observations conducted at a central frequency of 888 MHz between 2019 August and 2020 August, with a typical rms sensitivity of $0.24\ \mathrm{mJy\ beam}^{-1}$ and angular resolution of $12-20$ arcseconds. There are 113 fields, each of which was observed for 12 min integration time, with between 5 and 13 repeats, with cadences between 1 day and 8 months. The total area of the pilot survey footprint is 5 131 square degrees, covering six distinct regions of the sky. An initial search of two of these regions, totalling 1 646 square degrees, revealed 28 highly variable and/or transient sources. Seven of these are known pulsars, including the millisecond pulsar J2039–5617. Another seven are stars, four of which have no previously reported radio detection (SCR J0533–4257, LEHPM 2-783, UCAC3 89–412162 and 2MASS J22414436–6119311). Of the remaining 14 sources, two are active galactic nuclei, six are associated with galaxies and the other six have no multi-wavelength counterparts and are yet to be identified.

AGN with the so-called 'double-double' radio structure have been interpreted as restarted AGN where the inner structure is a manifestation of a new phase of activity which happened to begin before the outer radio lobes resulting from the previous one had faded completely. The radio galaxy 1245+676 is an extreme example of such a double-double object — its outer structure, measuring 970 h−1 kpc, is five orders of magnitude larger than the 9.6 h−1 pc inner one. We present a series of VLBI observations of the core of 1245+676 which appears to be a compact symmetric object (CSO). We have detected the motion of the CSOs lobes, measured its velocity, and inferred the kinematic age of that structure.

Since various structural components of planetary nebulae (PN) manifest themselves differently, a combination of optical, infrared, submillimetre and radio techniques is needed to derive a complete picture of planetary nebulae. The effects of projection can also make derivation of the true 3-D structure difficult. Using a number of examples, we show that bipolar and multipolar nebulae are much more common than usually inferred from morphological classifications of apparent structures of planetary nebulae. We put forward a new hypothesis that the bipolar and multipolar lobes of PN are not regions of high-density ejected matter, but the result of ionization and illumination. The visible bright regions are in fact volumes of low density (cleared by high-velocity outflows), through which UV photons are being channelled. We suggest that multipolar nebulae with similar lobe sizes are not caused by simultaneous ejection of matter in several directions, but by leakage of UV photons in those directions.

A radio spectrometer has been built on Bruny Island, south of Hobart, for the study of solar bursts in the rarely observed frequency range from 3 to 20 MHz. This spectrometer is an adaptive device that employs digital techniques to avoid most of the strong terrestrial interference prevalent in this frequency range. The residual interference that cannot be avoided is excised during off-line processing. As a result, successful observations are made down to the minimum frequency that can propagate through the ionosphere to the antenna. This minimum frequency depends upon the zenith distance of the Sun and it is usually between 4 and 8 MHz.

Epoch of Reionisation (EoR) data analysis requires unprecedented levels of accuracy in radio interferometer pipelines. We have developed an imaging power spectrum analysis to meet these requirements and generate robust 21 cm EoR measurements. In this work, we build a signal path framework to mathematically describe each step in the analysis, from data reduction in the Fast Holographic Deconvolution (FHD) package to power spectrum generation in the εppsilon package. In particular, we focus on the distinguishing characteristics of FHD/εppsilon: highly accurate spectral calibration, extensive data verification products, and end-to-end error propagation. We present our key data analysis products in detail to facilitate understanding of the prominent systematics in image-based power spectrum analyses. As a verification to our analysis, we also highlight a full-pipeline analysis simulation to demonstrate signal preservation and lack of signal loss. This careful treatment ensures that the FHD/εppsilon power spectrum pipeline can reduce radio interferometric data to produce credible 21 cm EoR measurements.

Several critical issues recently raised by observations of SN 1987A are addressed. These include: 1) the evolution of the pre-supernova star, why it was blue, what its composition and core structure were; 2) the detailed isotopic composition of the ejecta; 3) why and to what extent the supernova composition was mixed in velocity space; 4) the interpretation of recently observed infrared lines, especially their profiles and the existence of red-shifted ‘wings’; and 5) what has become of the neutron star.

Our purpose in this paper is to explore the properties of the natural wave modes of a relativistically streaming electron-positron gas and to apply the results to the interpretation of the polarization characteristics of pulsar radio emission.

Recently the observationally derived stellar-wind mass-loss rates for Wolf-Rayet stars, or massive naked helium stars, have been revised downwards by a substantial amount. We present evolutionary calculations of helium stars incorporating such revised mass-loss rates, as well as mass transfer to a close compact binary companion. Our models reach final masses well in excess of 10 M⊙, consistent with the observed masses of black holes in X-ray binaries. This resolves the discrepancy found with previously assumed high mass-loss rates between the final masses of stars which spend most of their helium-burning lifetime as Wolf-Rayet stars (˜3 M⊙) and the minimum observed black hole masses (6 M⊙). Our calculations also suggest that there are two distinct classes of progenitors for Type Ic supernovae: one with very large initial masses (35 M⊙), which are still massive when they explode and leave black hole remnants, and one with moderate initial masses (˜12–20 M⊙) undergoing binary interaction, which end up with small pre-explosion masses and leave neutron star remnants.

Ground-based observations of Jupiter’s decametric radio emission (DAM) have been reviewed by Ellis (1965), Warwick (1967, 1970) and Carr and Gulkis (1969). A startling feature of DAM is the modulating effect of Io, and interpretation of the Io effect has dominated theoretical discussions of DAM until quite recently, specifically until the fly-by s of Voyagers 1 and 2. The Voyager data showed that the DAM appears as nested arcs in the frequency-Jovian longitude plane (Warwick et al. 1979, Boischot et al. 1981). The interpretation of this arc structure has been of primary theoretical interest over the past two years. The most widely adopted explanation is that the emission from each point is confined to the surface of a hollow cone (Goldstein and Thieman 1981). This idea is not new: emission on the surface of a cone was discussed by Ellis and McCulloch (1963); Dulk (1967) derived detailed parameters for the cone (half angle 79° width 1°) from the occurrence pattern of DAM; and Goldreich and Lynden-Bell (1969) presented a theoretical interpretation of it. More recently Goldstein et al. (1979) used observational data on the Jovian magnetic field in deriving properties of the required emission cone. It seems that one requires the properties of the emission cone to vary with position in the Jovian magnetosphere to account for the nested arc pattern (Goldstein and Thieman 1981; Gurnett and Goertz 1981).

We discuss variations of the atmospheric extinction coefficients and transformation equations to the standard UBVRI system based on observations of standard stars during 1996–1997 at Siding Spring Observatory using a thinned SITe CCD and coloured glass filters. In the transformation from the initial natural system to the Landolt version of the standard system, a large nonlinear term related to the Balmer discontinuity was required for the U transformation. We then modified the U filter, and the subsequent transformation to the SAAO version of the standard UBVRI system had only small nonlinear correction terms for U, B, and I. The correction terms relating to U and B are evidently due to the Balmer discontinuity, while that relating to I seems to be due to the Paschen discontinuity at λ ≈ 8200 Å. We also compared the results with Landolt's observations, and confirmed the difference between the two sets of standard stars (SAAO and Landolt).

This paper presents (Hα + [Nii]) imaging and spectroscopy of a previously unknown, highly evolved planetary nebula of low excitation which is in the first stages of an interaction with the interstellar medium (ISM). It was discovered serendipitously from AAO/UKST Hα Survey images as part of a project to exploit the survey data and has evaded detection by previous surveys due to its very low surface brightness. It is a remarkable hollow-sphere planetary nebula, some 19´ across, making it one of the largest examples of its type. We estimate a radius of 1.5 pc and a distance of 550 pc as derived from a new Hα surface brightness–radius relation. PFP 1 has near-perfect circular symmetry, broken only at the north-western edge which is coupled with significantly increased (Hα + [Nii]) intensity, both of which provide evidence for an interaction with the ISM. We find a near solar composition for this object with possibly enhanced He and N abundances. A blue central star candidate has been identified from the SuperCosmos Sky Survey data.

A theory for the source of free energy for the Langmuir waves producing Type II bursts is presented. It is shown that electrons accelerated at the Type II shock naturally develop a distribution function with an abrupt cutoff at a characteristic minimum parallel velocity (a ‘cutoff distribution) in a limited spatial volume ahead of the shock, irrespective of the acceleration process active at the shock. The long duration, narrow bandwidth Type II radiation is then explained in terms of Langmuir waves produced by a cutoff distribution. The theory also accounts in a natural way for split-band Type II bursts and herringbone bursts.

We briefly review three main applications of Hα surveys in cosmology, namely: (1) the diffuse Hα emission as a tracer of the free–free foreground that contaminates the fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background radiation; (2) the Hα emission from galaxies as a measure of the formation rate of massive stars, both at low and high redshift; and (3) the diffuse Hα emission from ionised clouds as a constraint on the local ionising background radiation.

We validate the baryonic Tully–Fisher (TF) relation by exploring the Tully–Fisher (TF) and BTF properties of optically and Hi-selected disk galaxies. The data includes galaxies from Sakai et al. (2000) calibrator sample, McGaugh et al. (2000: M2000) I-band sample, and 18 newly acquired Hi-selected field dwarf galaxies observed with the ANU 2.3-m telescope and the ATNF Parkes telescope (Gurovich 2005a).

As in M2000, we re-cast the TF and BTF relations as relationships between baryon mass and W20. First we report some numerical errors in M2000. Then, we calculate weighted bi-variate linear fits to the data, and finally we compare the fits of the intrinsically fainter dwarfs with the brighter galaxies of Sakai et al. (2000). With regards to the local calibrator disk galaxies of Sakai et al. (2000), our results suggest that the BTF relation is indeed tighter than the TF relation and that the slopes of the BTF relations are statistically flatter than the equivalent TF relations. Further, for the fainter galaxies which include the I-band M2000 and Hi-selected galaxies of Gurovich's sample, we calculate a break from a simple power law model because of what appears to be real cosmic scatter. Not withstanding this point, the BTF models are marginally better models than the equivalent TF ones with slightly smaller Χred2 values.

This paper presents the first major data release and survey description for the ANU WiFeS SuperNovA Programme. ANU WiFeS SuperNovA Programme is an ongoing supernova spectroscopy campaign utilising the Wide Field Spectrograph on the Australian National University 2.3-m telescope. The first and primary data release of this programme (AWSNAP-DR1) releases 357 spectra of 175 unique objects collected over 82 equivalent full nights of observing from 2012 July to 2015 August. These spectra have been made publicly available via the WISEREP supernova spectroscopy repository.

We analyse the ANU WiFeS SuperNovA Programme sample of Type Ia supernova spectra, including measurements of narrow sodium absorption features afforded by the high spectral resolution of the Wide Field Spectrograph instrument. In some cases, we were able to use the integral-field nature of the Wide Field Spectrograph instrument to measure the rotation velocity of the SN host galaxy near the SN location in order to obtain precision sodium absorption velocities. We also present an extensive time series of SN 2012dn, including a near-nebular spectrum which both confirms its ‘super-Chandrasekhar’ status and enables measurement of the sub-solar host metallicity at the SN site.

The Galactic bulge of the Milky Way is made up of stars with a broad range of metallicity, –3.0 < [Fe/H] < 1 dex. The mean of the metallicity distribution function decreases as a function of height z from the plane and, more weakly, with galactic radius RGC. The most metal-rich stars in the inner Galaxy are concentrated to the plane and the more metal-poor stars are found predominantly further from the plane, with an overall vertical gradient in the mean of the metallicity distribution function of about − 0.45 dex kpc−1. This vertical gradient is believed to reflect the changing contribution with height of different populations in the innermost region of the Galaxy. The more metal-rich stars of the bulge are part of the boxy/peanut structure and comprise stars in orbits which trace out the underlying X-shape. There is still a lack of consensus on the origin of the metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] < −0.5) in the region of the bulge. Some studies attribute the more metal-poor stars of the bulge to the thick disk and stellar halo that are present in the inner region, and other studies propose that the metal-poor stars are a distinct ‘old spheroid’ bulge population. Understanding the origin of the populations that make up the metallicity distribution function of the bulge, and identifying if there is a unique bulge population which has formed separately from the disk and halo, has important consequences for identifying the relevant processes in the formation and evolution of the Milky Way.

We investigate irradiation-driven mass transfer in cataclysmic variables in the presence of shielding of the radiation by an accretion disk. We have shown that the shielding can cause a temporal drop of 3–5 magnitudes in the brightness of systems with orbital periods shorter than about 4 hr. This provides a possible explanation for the brightness variations in the VY Scl stars.