This 2006 book acknowledges the importance of identifying the most crucial science to be performed by the superb Hubble Telescope. With this goal in mind, the book presents a review of some of the most important open questions in astronomy. World experts examine topics ranging from extrasolar planets and star formation to supermassive black holes and the reionization of the universe. Special emphasis is placed on what astronomical observations should be carried out during the next few years to enable breakthroughs in our understanding of a complex and dynamic universe. In particular, the reviewers attempt to identify those topics to which the Hubble Space Telescope can uniquely contribute. The special emphasis on future research makes this book an essential resource for both professional researchers and graduate students in astronomy and astrophysics.

Over the last few years it has become apparent that fluid turbulence shares many common features with plasma turbulence, such as coherent structures and self-organization phenomena, passive scalar transport and anomalous diffusion. This book gathers very high level, current papers on these subjects. It is intended for scientists and researchers, lecturers and graduate students because of the review style of the papers.

The auroral emissions in the upper atmosphere of the polar regions of the Earth are evidence of the capture of energetic particles from the Sun, streaming by the Earth as the solar wind. These auroral emissions, then, are a window to outer space, and can provide us with valuable information about electrodynamic coupling processes between the solar wind and the Earth's ionosphere and upper atmosphere. Studying the physics of these phenomena extends our understanding of our plasma universe.

Ground-based remote-sensing techniques, able to monitor continuously the variations in the signatures of aurorae, in combination with in-situ satellite and rocket measurements, promise to advance dramatically our understanding of the physical processes taking place at the interface of the atmospheres of the Earth and the Sun. Decoding their complexity brings us closer to reliable prediction of communication environments, especially at high latitudes. This understanding, in turn, will help us resolve problems of communication and navigation across polar regions.

Aurorae have been the object of wonder and scientific curiosity for centuries. Only recently, however, have we been able to detect, with sensitive instrumentation, noontime aurorae, and persistent aurorae deep within the polar cap. This book is the first to provide a morphological and theoretical framework for understanding these dayside and polar cap aurorae.

The book also communicates the excitement of discovery, as it details the nature of these newly revealed auroral displays. It is a fascinating voyage of exploration, one appropriate for students of nature, wherever and whoever they may be.

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is a joint ESA/NASA mission to study the Sun, from its deep core to the outer corona, and the solar wind. SOHO was launched on 2 December 1995 and was inserted into a halo orbit around the L1 Lagrangian point on 14 February 1996. From this vantage point it is continuously monitoring the Sun, the heliosphere, and the solar wind particles that stream toward the Earth. Nominal operations of the SOHO mission started in April 1996 after commissioning of the spacecraft and the scientific payload. Detailed descriptions of the twelve instruments, which represent the most comprehensive set of solar and heliospheric instruments ever developed and placed on the same platform, can be found in "The SOHO" "Mission" ("Solar Physics," Vol. 162, Nos. 1-2, 1995).
This volume contains papers reporting the first scientific results from the SOHO mission as well as descriptions of the in-flight performance of some of the instruments, published in two parts of a "Solar Physics" special (Part I in "Solar Physics," Vol. 170, No. 1; Part II in "Solar Physics," Vol. 175, No. 2). Unique data from the three helioseismology instruments (GOLF, VIRGO, MDI/SOI) provide new insights into the structure and dynamics of the solar interior, from the deep core to the outermost layers of the convection zone. The remote sensing instruments (SUMER, CDS, EIT, LASCO, UVCS, SWAN) present exciting new data on a wide range of topics such as transition region dynamics, coronal plumes, coronal holes, streamers, and coronal mass ejections, giving us our first comprehensive view of the outer solar atmosphere and corona. These data are complemented by energetic particle measurements produced by the ERNE instrument on board SOHO.

This book was first published in 2007. Variable stars are those that change brightness. Their variability may be due to geometric processes such as rotation, or eclipse by a companion star, or physical processes such as vibration, flares, or cataclysmic explosions. In each case, variable stars provide unique information about the properties of stars, and the processes that go on within them. This book provides a concise overview of variable stars, including a historical perspective, an introduction to stars in general, the techniques for discovering and studying variable stars, and a description of the main types of variable stars. It ends with short reflections about the connection between the study of variable stars, and research, education, amateur astronomy, and public interest in astronomy. This book is intended for anyone with some background knowledge of astronomy, but is especially suitable for undergraduate students and experienced amateur astronomers who can contribute to our understanding of these important stars.

The seeds of this conference were sown with the publication by Press, in 1965, of a paper in which he suggested that the displacement field due to a major earthquake may extend over much greater distances than had been thought possible before. Later on, Mansinha and Smylie pointed out that if Press was correct then, since the redistri bution of significant quantities of mass was involved, the inertia tensor of the earth would be altered and thus cause the earth to wobble; this revived the idea that earth quakes might be the long sought source for maintaining the Chandler Wobble. They argued that since earthquakes are sudden events it should be worthwhile trying to determine if there was any correlation between sudden changes in the Chandler term of the pole path and major earthquakes. Furthermore, since displacements occur both before and after an earthquake it might be possible to obtain a few days warning of a major earthquake by making instantaneous observations of the pole path. Analysis of the data indicated some correlation but, as often happens in science in general and in geophysics in particular, the results were not conclusive because of imperfect theory and the need for more accurate determinations of the pole position. It soon became clear that a meeting between geophysicists and astronomers involved in this type of work would be of mutual benefit."

G. Beutler's Methods of Celestial Mechanics is a coherent textbook for students as well as an excellent reference for practitioners. The first volume gives a thorough treatment of celestial mechanics and presents all the necessary mathematical details that a professional would need. The reader will appreciate the well-written chapters on numerical solution techniques for ordinary differential equations, as well as that on orbit determination. In the second volume applications to the rotation of earth and moon, to artificial earth satellites and to the planetary system are presented. The author addresses all aspects that are of importance in high-tech applications, such as the detailed gravitational fields of all planets and the earth, the oblateness of the earth, the radiation pressure and the atmospheric drag. The concluding part of this monumental treatise explains and details state-of-the-art professional and thoroughly-tested software for celestial mechanics.

The study of the fine structure of solar radio emissions is key to understanding plasma processes in the solar corona. It remains a reliable means for both diagnosing the corona and verifying the results of laboratory plasma experiments on wave-wave and wave-particle interactions. This monograph provides a comprehensive review of the fine structure of solar radio bursts. Based on the diversity of experimental data resulting from the progress made in observational techniques, the validity of various theoretical models is reexamined. The book serves as an up-to-date reference work for all researchers in this field.

Theideatocelebrate50yearsoftheSalpeterIMFoccurredduringtherecent IAU General Assembly in Sydney, Australia. Indeed, it was from Australia that in July 1954 Ed Salpeter submitted his famous paper "The Luminosity Function and Stellar Evolution" with the rst derivation of the empirical stellar IMF. This contribution was to become one of the most famous astrophysics papers of the last 50 years. Here, Ed Salpeter introduced the terms "original mass function" and "original luminosity function", and estimated the pro- bility for the creation of stars of given mass at a particular time, now known as the "Salpeter Initial Mass Function", or IMF. The paper was written at the Australian National University in Canberra on leave of absence from Cornell University (USA) and was published in 1955 as 7 page note in the Astroph- ical Journal Vol. 121, page 161. To celabrate the 50th anniversary of the IMF, along with Ed Salpeter's 80th birthday, we have organized a special meeting that brought together scientists involved in the empirical determination of this fundamental quantity in a va- ety of astrophysical contexts and other scientists fascinated by the deep imp- cations of the IMF on star formation theories, on the physical conditions of the gas before and after star formation, and on galactic evolution and cosmology. The meeting took place in one of the most beautiful spots of the Tuscan countryside, far from the noise and haste of everyday life.

These are the proceedings of international conference on Numerical As trophysics 1998 (NAP98), held at National Olympic Memorial Youth Cen ter, in Tokyo, Japan in the period of March 10 - 13, 1998, and hosted by the National Astronomical Observatory, Japan (NAOJ). In the last decade numerical simulations have grown up as a major tool for astrophysics. Numerical simulations give us invaluable informa tion on complex systems and physical processes under extreme conditions which can be neither realized by experiments nor directly observed. Super computers and special purpose computers may work as very large telescopes and special purpose telescopes for theoretical astrophysics, respectively. Nu merical astrophysics ranks with other tool-oriented astronomy such as ra dio astronomy, infrared astronomy, ultraviolet astronomy, X-ray astronomy, and ')'-ray astronomy. This conference, NAP98, was planned to explore recent advances in astrophysics aided by numerical simulations. The subjects of the confer ence included the large-scale structure formation, galaxy formation and evolution, star and planets formation, accretion disks, jets, gravitational wave emission, and plasma physics. NAP98 had also sessions on numerical methods and computer science. The conference was attended by 184 sci entists from 21 countries. We enjoyed excellent talks, posters, videos, and discussions: there are 40 oral presentations, 96 posters and 16 video pre sentations. We hope that these proceedings and accompanying CD-ROM replay the friendly but inspiring atmosphere of the conference."

This is an exhaustive review of our theoretical and observational knowledge of gravitational lensing 10 years after the discovery of the first lensed quasar, Q0957+561. Gravitational optics, optical, infrared, and radio observations of quasar-lens candidates, microlensing, arcs in clusters of galaxies, and radio rings are presented. In particular, the continuing survey of quasar-lens candidates, the new measurement of the time delay in 0957+561, the suspended microlensing effect through the galaxy 2237+030, as well as the discovery of new arcs and the measurement of new redshifts for two of them are presented. Numerous papers on the modelling of arcs and rings show how it should be possible to probe dark matter with these unexpected gravitational telescopes. Finally, tables summarize all the lens candidates we know today.

The articles in this book reflect the omnipresence of diffusion processes in the natural sciences. They describe experimental results as well as theoretical models and computer simulations, and address a wide readership including graduate students. The problems treated stem from physics, astronomy, physical chemistry, biology, and medicine. The papers are presented in a tutorial style and reflect the present-day trends in the field.

These eight lectures have been written up in a clear and pedagogical style in order to serve as an introduction for students to fields of modern astrophysical and astronomical research where otherwise textbooks are not available. The first four lectures cover topics in galactic astronomy (formation, structure and evolution of galaxies) and the remaining four are devoted to observational methods and astronomical instrumentation. The lecturers in the European Astrophysical Doctoral Network rank among the most highly respected specialists, and their lectures have been carefully edited and updated before publication.

Nature is characterized by a number of physical laws and fundamental dimensionless couplings. These determine the properties of our physical universe, from the size of atoms, cells and mountains to the ultimate fate of the universe as a whole. Yet it is rather remarkable how little we know about them. The constancy of physical laws is one of the cornerstones of the scientific research method, but for fundamental couplings this is an assumption with no other justification than a historical assumption. There is no 'theory of constants' describing their role in the underlying theories and how they relate to one another or how many of them are truly fundamental. Studying the behaviour of these quantities throughout the history of the universe is an effective way to probe fundamental physics. This explains why the ESA and ESO include varying fundamental constants among their key science drivers for the next generation of facilities. This symposium discussed the state-of-the-art in the field, as well as the key developments anticipated for the coming years.

Since the use of high-precision/resolution spectroscopy is closely connected to the ability to collect a large number of photons, the scientific domains using this technique benefit tremendously from the use of 8-meter class telescopes and will fully exploit the tremendous gain provided by future Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). This volume comprehensively covers the astrophysical and technical aspects of high-precision spectroscopy with an outlook to future developments.

IAU Symposium 271 enhances our understanding of some of the important dynamical processes that are ubiquitous in many objects in the Universe, from stars like our Sun to galaxies. A wide range of temporal and spatial scales are generally present, so instabilities, highly nonlinear states and turbulence play a central role. Understanding the behaviour and evolution of such systems requires high-accuracy, multi-scale observations and thoughtful analysis of the data gathered, coupled with detailed theoretical study. High-performance numerical simulations have become an essential and revealing tool for assessing the often subtle highly nonlinear regime of such models. In IAU S271 world experts share their knowledge and perspectives on the latest advances in studying the common underlying processes from the field of nonlinear astrophysical dynamics. The symposium also celebrates the long and illustrious career of Professor Juri Toomre and his achievements in many realms of astrophysical dynamics.

Binary systems of stars are as common as single stars. Stars evolve primarily by nuclear reactions in their interiors, but a star with a binary companion can also have its evolution influenced by the companion. Multiple star systems can exist stably for millions of years, but can ultimately become unstable as one star grows in radius until it engulfs another. This volume, first published in 2006, discusses the statistics of binary stars; the evolution of single stars; and several of the most important kinds of interaction between two (and even three or more) stars. Some of the interactions discussed are Roche-lobe overflow, tidal friction, gravitational radiation, magnetic activity driven by rapid rotation, stellar winds, magnetic braking and the influence of a distant third body on a close binary orbit. A series of mathematical appendices gives a concise but full account of the mathematics of these processes.

From the reviews: Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts has appeared in semi-annual volumes since 1969 and it has already become one of the fundamental publications in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics and neighbouring sciences. It is the most important English-language abstracting journal in the mentioned branches. ... The abstracts are classified under more than hundred subject categories, thus permitting a quick survey of the whole extended material. The AAA is a valuable and important publication for all students and scientists working in the fields of astronomy and related sciences. As such it represents a necessary ingredient of any astronomical library all over the world." Space Science Reviews #1 "Dividing the whole field plus related subjects into 108 categories, each work is numbered and most are accompanied by brief abstracts. Fairly comprehensive cross-referencing links relevant papers to more than one category, and exhaustive author and subject indices are to be found at the back, making the catalogues easy to use. The series appears to be so complete in its coverage and always less than a year out of date that I shall certainly have to make a little more space on those shelves for future volumes." The Observatory Magazine #1

This collection of 7 lectures is intended to be a textbook for graduate students who want to learn about modern developments in astronomy and astrophysics. The first part surveys various aspects of the late stages of stellar evolution, including observation and theory. B.C. de Loore's long article on stellar structure is followed by reviews on supernovae, on circumstellar envelopes, and on the evolution of binaries. The second part deals with the important problem of modeling stellar evolution based on the computational hydrodynamics.

Supernovae and gamma-ray bursts are the strongest explosions in the Universe. Observations show that, rather than being symmetrical, they are driven by strong jets of energy and other asymmetrical effects. These observations demand theories and computations that challenge the biggest computers. This volume marks the transition to a fresh paradigm in the study of stellar explosions. It highlights the burgeoning era of routine supernova polarimetry and the insights into core collapse and thermonuclear explosions. With chapters by leading scientists, the book summarises the status of a fresh perspective on stellar explosions and should be a valuable resource for graduate students and research scientists.

One of the world's most distinguished astrophysicists presents a comprehensive theoretical treatment of the dynamical evolution of globular clusters. Lyman Spitzcr's research in this field established the framework for decades of investigation. Now he summarizes in a unified, systematic way this branch of theoretical astrophysics with its still challenging problems.

Originally published in 1988.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The importance of connecting astrophysical theory, observations, simulations and laboratory astrophysics is nowadays widely appreciated by the scientific community. IAU Symposium 274 discusses recent observational, theoretical and experimental efforts in understanding the basic plasma processes in the Universe at all scales, from the primordial plasmas of the early Universe to stellar and laboratory plasmas. Experts from different fields examine topics including: the origin and dynamics of magnetic fields in astrophysical systems (the dynamo problem); the origin of x-ray emitting coronas and the role of magnetic reconnection; the acceleration of charged particles; winds and jets from highly-evolved stars and supernova remnants; plasma radiation processes; turbulence of the magnetized plasma in astrophysical objects and in the ISM, IGM and the solar wind; quantum plasmas under extreme conditions in planetary interiors and in exotic stars; and many other key problems in modern plasma astrophysics.

Der bekannte Astronom Karl Schwarzschild (1873-1916) gilt als der Begrunder der Astrophysik und als hervorragender Forscher mit einer erstaunlichen Bandbreite seiner Interessen. Arbeiten zur Himmelsmechanik, Elektrodynamik und Relativitatstheorie weisen ihn als vorzuglichen Mathematiker und Physiker auf der Hohe seiner Zeit aus. Untersuchungen zur Photographischen Photometrie, Optik und Spektroskopie zeigen den versierten Beobachter, der sein Messinstrument beherrscht, und schliesslich arbeitete Schwarzschild als Astrophysiker und an Sternatmospharen, Kometen, Struktur und Dynamik von Sternsystemen. Die in seinem kurzen Leben entstandene Fulle an wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten ist in drei Banden der Gesamtausgabe gesammelt, erganzt durch biographisches Material und ein Essay des Nobelpreistragers S. Chandrasekhar im ersten Band, und Annotationen von Fachleuten in jedem der drei Bande."

It is well known that stellar winds are variable, and the fluctuations are often cyclical in nature. This property seems to be shared by the winds of cool and hot stars, even though their outflows are driven by fundamentally different physical mechanisms. Since very similar models have been proposed to explain the cyclical wind variations observed in a wide variety of stars, the time was ripe for astrophysicists from many different sub-disciplines to present the state of the art in a concise form. The proceedings will provide a useful, up-to-date overview of the observations, interpretation, and modelling of the time-dependent mass outflows from all sorts of stars.