A recent study has indicated that a substantial fraction of young pulsars born in supernovae have travelled outside the boundaries of their corresponding shell supernova remnants. A simple model suggests that this should not be the case, implying either that some postulated pulsar/remnant associations are false, or that pulsars are particularly difficult to detect until they have emerged from their remnants.

Extreme scattering events (ESEs) are dramatic variations of the flux density at gigahertz frequencies caused by ray path distortions within an isolated inhomogeneity (‘plasma lens’) in the interstellar medium. These events are characterised by a deep flux density minimum in the light curve with, in some cases, surrounding maxima. The variability time scales range from weeks to months. These phenomena show a strong frequency dependence, in which the variability amplitudes increase with wavelength. During an intraday variability (IDV) monitoring project (March 2000), a feature resembling an ESE-like event appeared in the variable light curve of 0954+658, however with a time scale of less than two days. We will discuss this effect and its implications for a better description of the interstellar medium.

The University of NSW’s Automated Patrol Telescope is a modified Baker-Nunn satellite tracking camera, now used for CCD imaging of astronomical objects. The f/1 Baker-Nunn optical design gives a 30° field of view with an approximately spherical focal surface of radius ≈500 mm. While the focal plane curvature is tolerable across the 1.4° × 1.0° field of the present CCD, it becomes unacceptable when a larger CCD is used. In addition, the use of glass filters in the highly convergent beam produces intolerable spherical aberration. We present a design modification to the original Baker-Nunn which enables a 5° diameter flat field to be produced when using B, V, R or I filters. By making this modification, we plan to perform multicolour imaging, using a new large-format CCD with a 2.9° × 1.9° field of view.

Several recent observations using large data sets of galaxies showed non-random distribution of the spin directions of spiral galaxies, even when the galaxies are too far from each other to have gravitational interaction. Here, a data set of $\sim8.7\cdot10^3$ spiral galaxies imaged by Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is used to test and profile a possible asymmetry between galaxy spin directions. The asymmetry between galaxies with opposite spin directions is compared to the asymmetry of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The two data sets contain different galaxies at different redshift ranges, and each data set was annotated using a different annotation method. The results show that both data sets show a similar asymmetry in the COSMOS field, which is covered by both telescopes. Fitting the asymmetry of the galaxies to cosine dependence shows a dipole axis with probabilities of $\sim2.8\sigma$ and $\sim7.38\sigma$ in HST and SDSS, respectively. The most likely dipole axis identified in the HST galaxies is at $(\alpha=78^{\rm o},\delta=47^{\rm o})$ and is well within the $1\sigma$ error range compared to the location of the most likely dipole axis in the SDSS galaxies with $z>0.15$, identified at $(\alpha=71^{\rm o},\delta=61^{\rm o})$.

Most plates taken with the UK Schmidt Telescope are hypersensitized before use. The technique for the hyper-sensitization of IIIa-type emulsions has been described by Sim et al. (1976), and for the IV-N emulsion by Hartley and Tritton (1979). Photographic calibration is provided by two sensitometers, a seven-step linear array at the N-W corner and a 4 × 4 spot array in the S-E. During the calibration of this latter sensitometer (Dawe and Metcalfe 1981), which is a copy of a design by Schoening (1976), it became apparent that the sensitivity of the hypersensitized IIIa-emulsions in use was decreasing as a function of time in the plateholder.

The exceptional brightness of SN 1987A has provided a unique opportunity to probe intervening gas clouds in the disk and halo of our Galaxy and in the Large Magellanic Cloud, as well as intergalactic matter between the two. At the AAO we have exploited this opportunity in two ways: in searches for very weak interstellar features requiring exceptionally high signal-to-noise ratio spectra, and in recording known interstellar lines with unprecedentedly high spectral resolution. We are also monitoring photographically the evolution of the light-echoes to map the three-dimensional distribution of interstellar matter near the supernova. Surprisingly high column densities of million-degree gas have been found in the LMC through the first detection of [Fe X] in absorption. The hot gas may fill the interior of a ‘superbubble’, created by the combined effects of previous supernovae in this active region of star-formation; this cavity may be related to the shells of interstellar matter giving rise to the light-echoes. The ultra-high resolution observations, which required the rapid construction of a dedicated new spectrograph, were successful in resolving the hyperfine structure of the sodium D lines in several interstellar clouds. This implies that the clouds are at temperatures of at most 170 K and have internal turbulent velocities of no more than 0.3 km s−1, even though some are moving with high velocities relative to the Sun.

The non-thermal filaments in the Galactic centre constitute one of the great mysteries of this region of the Galaxy. We summarise the observational data on these filaments and critically review the various theories which currently outnumber the observed filaments. We summarise our theory for the longest of these filaments, the Snake, and discuss the relevance of this model for the other filaments in the Galactic centre region. The physics involved in our model for the Snake involves much of the physics that has dominated the career of Professor Don Melrose. In particular, the diffusion of relativistic electrons in the Snake is determined from the theory of resonant scattering by Alfvén waves.

We have observed the Vela pulsar for 1 year using a phased array feed receiver on the 12-m antenna of the Parkes Test-Bed Facility. These observations have allowed us to investigate the stability of the phased array feed beam weights over time, to demonstrate that pulsars can be timed over long periods using phased array feed technology and to detect and study the most recent glitch event that occurred on 2016 December 12. The beam weights are shown to be stable to 1% on time scales on the order of three weeks. We discuss the implications of this for monitoring pulsars using phased array feeds on single dish telescopes.

In view of the already available reviews on the subject, the progress after 1972 is summarised. Newly identified species and molecular transitions are listed. How the studies of solar molecules can be helpful in understanding the solar atmosphere, in structuring better models and in deriving molecular parameters with some degree of confidence, is stated.

Filaments of galaxies are the dominant feature of modern large-scale redshift surveys. They can account for up to perhaps half of the baryonic mass budget of the Universe and their distribution and abundance can help constrain cosmological models. However, there remains no single, definitive way in which to detect, describe, and define what filaments are and their extent. This work examines a number of physically motivated, as well as statistical, methods that can be used to define filaments and examines their relative merits.

The Unified Model holds that the aspect-dependent effects primarily determine the nature of the active galactic nucleus that we observe. In this paper, I argue that three parameters; aspect, accretion rate into the nuclear regions, and the evolutionary status of the central black hole hold the key to unification. The mystery of why the epoch of quasar formation occurred so early in the evolution of the Universe, why radio-loud QSOs represent only a small fraction of the general population of QSOs, and why ellipticals are invariably the hosts of radio-loud active galaxies could be explained if (a) the most rapid growth of black holes occurred in galactic merger events, and if (b) an excess in the rate of nuclear feeding was able to choke off the radio jets, producing radio quiet QSOs. In this paper, I develop the idea that rate of nuclear feeding plays a dominant role and that feeding at super-Eddington rates into the broad-line region (BLR) during merger events is the means whereby massive black holes are grown. In particular, I develop a toy model for the radio-loud, radio-quiet dichotomy based on the rate of nuclear feeding, suggest an electron scattering model for the ‘big blue bump’ and its relation to the BLR, and emphasise the important diagnostic capabilities offered by analyses of the narrow line regions based on shock excitation models.

We compare first-order (refractive) ionospheric effects seen by the MWA with the ionosphere as inferred from GPS data. The first-order ionosphere manifests itself as a bulk position shift of the observed sources across an MWA field of view. These effects can be computed from global ionosphere maps provided by GPS analysis centres, namely the CODE. However, for precision radio astronomy applications, data from local GPS networks needs to be incorporated into ionospheric modelling. For GPS observations, the ionospheric parameters are biased by GPS receiver instrument delays, among other effects, also known as receiver DCBs. The receiver DCBs need to be estimated for any non-CODE GPS station used for ionosphere modelling. In this work, single GPS station-based ionospheric modelling is performed at a time resolution of 10 min. Also the receiver DCBs are estimated for selected Geoscience Australia GPS receivers, located at Murchison Radio Observatory, Yarragadee, Mount Magnet and Wiluna. The ionospheric gradients estimated from GPS are compared with that inferred from MWA. The ionospheric gradients at all the GPS stations show a correlation with the gradients observed with the MWA. The ionosphere estimates obtained using GPS measurements show promise in terms of providing calibration information for the MWA.

Precise measurement of the fundamental parameters of stellar systems, including mass and radius, depends critically on how well the stellar distances are known. Astrometry from space provides parallax measurements of unprecented accuracy, from which distances can be derived, initially from the Hipparcos mission, with a further refinement of that analysis provided by van Leeuwen in 2007. The publication of the Gaia DR2 catalogue promises a dramatic improvement in the available data. We have recalculated the dynamical masses of a sample of 1 700 close visual binary stars using Gaia DR2 and compared the results with masses derived from both the original and enhanced Hipparcos data. We show the van Leeuwen analysis yields results close to those of Gaia DR2, but the latter are significantly more accurate. We consider the impact of the Gaia DR2 parallaxes on our understanding of the sample of visual binaries.

The Chandra X-ray Observatory has detected relatively hard X-ray emission from the central stars of several planetary nebulae (PNe). A subset has no known late-type companions, making it very difficult to isolate which of several competing mechanisms may be producing the X-ray emission. The central star of NGC 2392 is one of the most vexing members, with substantial indirect evidence for a hot white dwarf (WD) companion. Here we report on the results of a radial velocity (RV) monitoring campaign of its central star with the HERMES échelle spectrograph of the Flemish 1.2 m Mercator telescope. We discover a single-lined spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 1.902208 ± 0.000013 d and an RV semi-amplitude of 9.96 ± 0.13 km s−1. The high degree of nebula ionisation requires a WD companion (M ≳ 0.6M⊙), which the mass-function supports at orbital inclinations ≲ 7°, in agreement with the nebula orientation of 9°. The hard component of the X-ray spectrum may be explained by the companion accreting mass from the wind of the Roche lobe filling primary, while the softer component may be due to colliding winds. A companion with a stronger wind than the primary could produce the latter and would be consistent with models of the observed diffuse X-ray emission detected in the nebula. The diffuse X-rays may also be powered by the jets of up to 180 km s−1, and active accretion would imply that they may be the first active jets of a post-common-envelope PN, potentially making NGC 2392 an invaluable laboratory to study jet formation physics. The 1.9 d orbital period rules out a double-degenerate merger leading to a Type Ia supernova, and the weak wind of the primary likely also precludes a single-degenerate scenario. We suggest that a hard X-ray spectrum, in the absence of a late-type companion, could be a powerful tool to identify accreting WD companions.

Geomagnetic storm sudden commencements (ssc) and sudden increases (si) can be caused by either a propagating discontinuity (i.e. a hydromagnetic shock or blast wave) in the interplanetary plasma or by the convection past the Earth of a discontinuity in the ambient solar plasma flow.

A knowledge of the quantitative chemical composition of the primordial solar system must underlie all comprehensive studies of its origin and evolution. Usually we take the composition of the surface layers (photosphere) of the Sun as representative of this composition (except perhaps for deuterium, Li, B, and Be).

With the recent discovery of a dozen dusty star-forming galaxies and around 30 quasars at z > 5 that are hyper-luminous in the infrared (μ LIR > 1013 L⊙, where μ is a lensing magnification factor), the possibility has opened up for SPICA, the proposed ESA M5 mid-/far-infrared mission, to extend its spectroscopic studies toward the epoch of reionisation and beyond. In this paper, we examine the feasibility and scientific potential of such observations with SPICA’s far-infrared spectrometer SAFARI, which will probe a spectral range (35–230 μm) that will be unexplored by ALMA and JWST. Our simulations show that SAFARI is capable of delivering good-quality spectra for hyper-luminous infrared galaxies at z = 5 − 10, allowing us to sample spectral features in the rest-frame mid-infrared and to investigate a host of key scientific issues, such as the relative importance of star formation versus AGN, the hardness of the radiation field, the level of chemical enrichment, and the properties of the molecular gas. From a broader perspective, SAFARI offers the potential to open up a new frontier in the study of the early Universe, providing access to uniquely powerful spectral features for probing first-generation objects, such as the key cooling lines of low-metallicity or metal-free forming galaxies (fine-structure and H2 lines) and emission features of solid compounds freshly synthesised by Population III supernovae. Ultimately, SAFARI’s ability to explore the high-redshift Universe will be determined by the availability of sufficiently bright targets (whether intrinsically luminous or gravitationally lensed). With its launch expected around 2030, SPICA is ideally positioned to take full advantage of upcoming wide-field surveys such as LSST, SKA, Euclid, and WFIRST, which are likely to provide extraordinary targets for SAFARI.

The aim of our study is to investigate the possibility of habitable moons orbiting the giant planet HD 23079b, a Jupiter-mass planet, which follows a low-eccentricity orbit in the outer region of HD 23079’s habitable zone. We show that HD 23079b is able to host habitable moons in prograde and retrograde orbits, as expected, noting that the outer stability limit for retrograde orbits is increased by nearly 90% compared with that of prograde orbits, a result consistent with previous generalised studies. For the targeted parameter space, it was found that the outer stability limit for habitable moons varies between 0.05236 and 0.06955 AU (prograde orbits) and between 0.1023 and 0.1190 AU (retrograde orbits), depending on the orbital parameters of the Jupiter-type planet if a minimum mass is assumed. These intervals correspond to 0.306 and 0.345 (prograde orbits) and 0.583 and 0.611 (retrograde orbits) of the planet's Hill radius. Larger stability limits are obtained if an increased value for the planetary mass mp is considered; they are consistent with the theoretically deduced relationship of m1/3p. Finally, we compare our results with the statistical formulae of Domingos, Winter, & Yokoyama, indicating both concurrence and limitations.

The low infrared background and high atmospheric transparency are the principal advantages of Antarctic Plateau sites for astronomy. However, the poor seeing (between 1 and 3 as) negates much of the sensitivity improvements that the Antarctic atmosphere offers, compared to mid-latitude sites such as Mauna Kea or Cerro Paranal. The seeing at mid-latitude sites, though smaller in amplitude, is dominated by turbulence at altitudes of 10–20 km. Over the Antarctic Plateau, virtually no high altitude turbulence is present in the winter. The mean square error for an astrometric measurement with a dual-beam, differential astrometric interferometer in the very narrow angle regime is proportional to the integral of h2C2N(h). Therefore, sites at which the turbulence occurs only at low altitudes offer large gains in astrometric precision. We show that a modest interferometer at the South Pole can achieve 10 μ as differential astrometry 300 times faster than a comparable interferometer at a good mid-latitude site, in median conditions. Science programs that would benefit from such an instrument include planet detection and orbit determination, and astrometric observation of stars microlensed by dark matter candidates.

We evolve extremely metal-poor ([Fe/H]≃–3), thermally pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) models with the mass range of 1–8 M⊙. The chemical yields ejected from the models are obtained by considering mass loss. We find that the 1- and 2-M⊙ AGB models are not affected by hot bottom burning (HBB). Nevertheless, they produce large amount of 7Li in an H-flash event. The occurrence of this event is associated with the ingestion of protons from the overlying H-rich envelope into the He convective shell driven by thermal pulse. The resulting 7Li abundances in the ejecta are higher than the primordial one predicted in Big-Bang nucleosynthesis. The efficient production of 7Li by the operation of HBB is also confirmed in the models of 4–8 M⊙. If these AGB stars have a low-mass companion, it is probable that mass loss from the primary AGB star brings the materials enriched in 7Li into the secondary star. This makes the surface composition of the secondary Li-rich. The formation of Li-rich stars, however, is strongly dependent on the mass loss history and binary separation. The nucleosynthesis for the other light nuclei is also calculated up to the end of the AGB phase. We find that the abundance patterns of the metal-poor stars CS 29528–041 and CS 29497–030 are well reproduced by yields from our AGB models.