This collection of papers from the Space Telescope Science Institute Symposium on massive stars addresses the many aspects of astrophysics in which these stars play an important role. Review papers are presented from both observational and theoretical work by world experts in the study of these rare stars. Topics discussed include star formation in the local and distant universe, the feedback effects of the massive stars, mass loss from massive stars, and explosions of massive stars. The combination of papers produces a comprehensive overview of up-to-date research in the field, making this book an invaluable resource for professional researchers and for students of astrophysics.

The last major conference on infrared astronomy was the IAU Symposium No. 96 in June 1980. Since then, the discipline has continued to mature and to contribute to all branches of astrophysics. One particular area of growth has been in spectroscopic capabilities at all infrared wavelengths. The purpose of the Symposium in Toledo was to review the scientific questions to be addressed via infrared spectroscopy and to provide, in the proceedings, a useful summary of the field. The sensitivity of infrared spectroscopic observations is still generally limited by detector characteristics or by thermal background radiation. However in recent years improvements in detector technology together with developments in spectroscopic instrumentation have made possible both quite detailed spectroscopy of the brighter members of many classes of galactic sources and also begun to open up some infrared spectroscopy of extragalactic sources. The potential of the field in the next decade or two is clear. The lRAS mission has completed one of the pre-requisites, namely an all-sky photometric survey. Major space missions utilising cryogenic infrared telescopes have been approved in Europe (ISO) and seem likely in the USA (SIRTF); plans for space submillimeter telescopes are firming up. On the ground large telescopes optimized for infrared observations are now in operation at high altitude sites and specialized submillimeter facilities are under construction. The particular advantages of planned, very large telescopes for infrared observations are widely accepted.

Our view of our Galaxy has recently been undergoing an increasing divergence from the traditional standpoint. In this book ten authors discuss in eight chapters how the conceptions of the Milky Way have moved in new directions. Starting with the inner parsec and the Center of the Galaxy, the book gradually moves on to the bulge and its relation to the globular clusters and to the disk, of which the presence of a bar is argued. A new look on the HI distribution in the disk, a synthesis of molecular line surveys and the study of stellar populations are discussed in the last three chapters.

The European Workshop on White Dwarfs was initiated by Prof. V. Weidemann, with the first meeting organized in Kiel (FRG) in 1974. Almost every two years, an increasing number of astronomers met to share their results and projects in the subsequent workshops: Frascati (1976), Tel Aviv (1978), Paris (1981), Kiel (1984), Frascati (1986). In the mean time, two major IAU colloquia (No. 53 in Rochester, NY, 1979; and No. 114 in Hanover, NH, 1988) emphasized the importance of these stars for our understanding of stellar evolution. The informal organization of the white dwarf community has been the starting point for large cooperative projects of which the Hubble Space Telescope "White Dwarf Consortium" and the "Whole Earth Telescope" are the most spectacular examples. But many other successful collaborations have also been born during the very exciting discussions conducted in the last 16 years on the occasion of our regular meetings. The 7th European Workshop on White Dwarfs took place the year of the seventieth birthday of Prof. Evry Schatzman, whose pioneering work has been the inspiration for many of the new ideas in the white dwarf community. The Scientific Organizing Committee has agreed to dedicate the workshop to him on this occasion. We are pleased to publish as an introduction to the workshop, the text of the talk delivered by Prof. Schatzman at the workshop's banquet.

It was a general feeling among those who attended the NATO / ARW meeting on the Galaxy Distances and Deviations from Universal Expansion, that during the week in Hawaii a milestone had been passed in work on the distance scale. While not until the last minute did most of the participants know who else would be attending, no one was displeased with the showing. As it turned out, scarcely a single active worker in the field of the distance scale missed the event. Few knew all of the outstanding work that was to be revealed, and/or the long-term programs that were to be encapsulated in the first few days. Areas of general agreement were pinpointed with candid speed, and most of the discussion moved on quickly to new data, and areas deserving special new attention. As quickly as one project was reported as being brought successfully to a close, a different group would report on new discoveries with new directions to go. New data, new phenomena; but the sentiment was that we were building on a much safer foundation, even if the Universe was unfolding in a much more complex and unexpected way than was previously anticipated. In editing these proceedings a decision was made well in advance of the Meet ing that no attempt would made to record the discussion. This was done for many reasons."

The 4th European Regional Meeting in Astronomy, entitled "Stars and Star Systems," was held in Uppsala, Sweden, on August 7 -12, 1978. It was attended by 228 participants from 24 countries. Over 100 papers were presented; this required parallel sessions throughout the Meeting. Financial support was given by the IAU, the Swedish Department of Education, the Swedish Natural Science Research Council, the Swedish Institute and the University of Uppsala. The members of the Scientific and Local Organizing Committees are listed below, and I thank all of them for their contributions to the Meeting. The Meeting was divided into six sections, according to the scien tific topics: Galaxies (A) - including galactic structure and star for mation; High-Energy Astrophysics (B); Stars (C); Interstellar Processes (D); Astronomical Instrumentation (E) and Education in Astronomy (F). In each section a number of Invited Papers were presented as well as a large number of contributed papers. In addition, each day a General Lecture was given by an Invited Speaker. The present volume contains all the General Lectures and all the Invited Papers presented during the Meeting. In three cases, however, and for various reasons, only brief summaries have been available. Abstracts of the contributed papers may be found in Uppsala Astronomical Observatory, Report No. 12."

Estimating accurate stellar ages is one of the most difficult challenges in astrophysics. A star's age cannot be measured directly, and currently we only know the accurate age for one star: the Sun. Stellar ages lie at the heart of much of astrophysics. The accurate determination of timescales for physical processes in the stars allows us to compare the properties of stars at different stages in their lives. In IAU Symposium 258 astrophysicists from around the world discuss the current state of the problem of estimating ages of stars and stellar populations. They describe their efforts to better constrain the ages of individual stars and groups of stars through improved observations and physical models. IAU S258 highlights where the advances are being made and predicts what the near future offers.

First published in 1988 In Darkness Born brings together diverse work from many different branches of astronomy and shows clearly the synthesis of ideas that has resulted. The book presents the basic physical and astronomical ideas that are adequate for the lay reader to grasp the nature of our galaxy and to understand the way in which it formed. These basic concepts are used to develop a theoretical picture of how stars are born from giant clouds of gas and dust, and to understand the evidence from optical, radio, X-ray, ultraviolet and infrared observation. Martin Cohen is a recognised authority in this field. His knowledge and lucid style have resulted in a book which provides a stimulating introduction to most of the major concepts of astronomy. Any reader who prefers to grasp these concepts and ideas without tangling with theory and equations will find this a fascinating and illuminating book.

Recent advances in the instrumentation used to observe star forming regions in both our own Milky Way and in external galaxies have transformed the subject from a phenomenological pursuit into an increasingly unified, physical science. High resolution centimetre, millimetre, infrared, and optical studies of local star forming clouds have allowed us to probe the physics of star formation down to spatial scales approaching those of the solar system. These developments make it possible to better constrain the basic physical processes underlying star formation itself. At the same time, these new instruments have placed extragalactic studies on a footing detailed enough to allow comparison with star forming regions within our own galaxy. This revolution means that we will soon be able to link the physics of local star forming regions to the global star forming properties of galaxies. The entire structure of this NATO Advanced Study Institute was designed to explore this new view of the subject. This Institute on "Galactic and Extragalactic Star Formation" was held from June 21 -July 4, 1987 at the Conference Centre in the village of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. The informal atmosphere of this lovely mountain resort stim ulated many valuable scientific exchanges. The Institute was funded by a major grant from NATO Scientific Affairs. Additional financial and I.I1oral assistance was provided by the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) and Mc Master University."

From 12 April to 14 April 1988, 120 of Gerard and Antoinette de Vaucouleurs's friends and colleagues gathered at the Institut d' Astrophysique in Paris to cel ebrate Gerard's 70th birthday and his remarkable career in Astronomy. The gathering also honored the memory of Antoinette (who died 29 August 1987 after a long illness) and her own no less remarkable career. This volume collects the 24 invited review papers and the 60 contributed poster papers presented at the meeting. Gerard de Vaucouleurs Gerard de Vaucouleurs was born on 25 April 1918 in Paris, where he spent his boyhood. He became an active amateur astronomer in the early 1930's, making extensive observations of Mars, Jupiter, and variable stars (including the bright supernova of 1937 in IC 4182). He also began life-long interests in astronomical photography and galaxy cataloguing during this period. In 1939, he met the director of the Paris transport system and an equally avid amateur astronomer, Julien Peridier. De Vaucouleurs worked at Peridier's private observatory at Le Houga in southwestern France on and off throughout the next decade. His undergraduate work was in mathematics, astronomy, and experimental physics; this, combined with his interest in observational astronomy, formed his life-long empirical approach to science. After spending 18 months in the French army early in 1939 - 41, Gerard returned to the Peridier observatory and then, in 1943, to his studies at the Sorbonne, where he met Antoinette."

The theme of the conference held at the Institute of Astronomy in the summer of 1981 was 'Supernovae'. The topic was interpreted very broadly: observations in all wavebands were discussed, along with theories for the explosion mechanism and the light curves; there were papers on supernova remnants and pulsar statistics; other sessions dealt with the use of new techniques for improving supernova searches, and with the importance of supernovae for cosmogonic and cosmological studies. This book contains texts based on all the main review lectures, together with a number of shorter papers which describe new results presented at the conference. The Scientific Organising Committee, responsible for arranging the programme, consisted of J. Audouze, G. B. Brown, J. Danziger, F. Pacini, M. J. Rees (Chairman) and J. W. Truran. The conference was well attended, with over 100 visitors to Cambridge as well as many local participants. We are grateful to all those who helped with the practical organisation of the meeting, especially Dr Michael Ingham (Secretary of the Institute of Astronomy) and Mrs Norah Tate. We thank all the authors of the papers in this volume for the trouble they took in preparing written versions of their excellent lectures, and for the efforts they made to meet our ' final' deadl ine: we wish especially to thank Drs W. O. Arnett and J. M. Lattimer for help with the edi torial work.

The Milky Way Galaxy offers a unique opportunity to study the structure and contents of a major stellar system in three dimensions, at high spatial and spectral resolution, and to very large galactocentric distances. This potential can be realised only by statistical surveys of large areas of the sky, and by detailed study of specific regions with exceptional properties, such as the Galactic centre, and of specific classes of object, such as the globular clusters. The acquisition of such data from a variety of ground-based and satellite surveys has been a primary topic of Galactic research for some years. Several such surveys have been completed recently, and have led to a substantial modification of our understanding of Galactic structure and evolution. The importance of the ability of satellite observatories to survey and to study wavelengths which are inaccessible from the ground is evident in the wealth of data discussed and analysed in this volume which is derived from satellites, specifically COS-B, HEAD-I, HEAO-3, IRAS, PIONEER-lO, SAS-2, and TENMA. The cru cial role of ground-based observations to complement and comprehend the satellite data is also well evident. Similarly, the major ground-based studies whose results are reported here illustrate the necessity for carefully conceived and executed very large scale surveys of many types of object and many parts of parameter space before a coherent picture of the Galaxy will be available."

"An Introduction to the Evolution of Single and Binary Stars "provides physicists with an understanding of binary and single star evolution, beginning with a background and introduction of basic astronomical concepts. Although a general treatment of stellar structure and evolution is included, the text stresses the physical processes that lead to stellar mass compact object binaries that may be sources of observable gravitational radiation.
Basic concepts of astronomy, stellar structure and atmospheres, single star evolution, binary systems and mass transfer, compact objects, and dynamical systems are covered in the text. Readers will understand the astrophysics behind the populations of compact object binary systems and have sufficient background to delve deeper into specific areas of interest. In addition, derivations of important concepts and worked examples are included. No previous knowledge of astronomy is assumed, although a familiarity with undergraduate quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, and thermodynamics is beneficial.

This volume synthesizes the results of work carried out by several international teams of the SIROCO (Seismology for Rotation and Convection) collaboration. It provides the theoretical background required to interpret the huge quantity of high-quality observational data recently provided by space experiments such as CoRoT and Kepler. Asteroseismology allows astrophysicists to test, to model and to understand stellar structure and evolution as never before. The chapters in this book address the two groups of topics summarized as "Stellar Rotation and Associated Seismology" as well as "Stellar Convection and Associated Seismology". The book offers the reader solid theoretical background knowledge and adapted seismic diagnostic techniques.

This tract gives a simple but rigorous treatment of some of the mathematical problems that arise in the theory of the transfer of radiation through the atmosphere of a star. Similar problems occur in the theory of the diffusion of neutrons and in the study of temperature-wave flow in solids; so the solutions found in one theory can often be applied in the others. Dr Busbridge's starting-point is the equation of transfer. The first section provides the auxiliary mathematics, and the second discusses the Milne equations. Some unsolved and incompletely solved problems are considered in an appendix. The language and notation of astrophysics is used throughout, for brevity and simplicity, but translation into other notations is usually fairly easy. Over the years the subject had grown considerably, and several outstanding problems have been solved, though the total amount of rigorous work is small. This tract will help to clear up confusions which exist and will provide an introduction to some of the more powerful mathematical techniques available.

This book contains the proceedings of the meeting held in the lovely island of Vulcano, close to the noth coast of Sicily (ltaly) on September 20-24, 1999. Vlllcano is one of the group called Eolian islands. The name derives from the fact that the island is a volcano, and legend says that it was inhabited by the greek god Volcano. The subject of the conference was "The Chemical Evolution of the Milky Way: Stars versus Clusters." This colIoquium was a project devised by a group of italian astronomers (Franco Giovannelli, Francesca Matteucci and Sergio Or tolani) together with Beatriz Barbuy (Brazil) and R. M. Rich (U. S. A. ), on the hasis of the fact that alI of them actively work in the field and that the last meeting, held in Italy on this subject, was the Elba meeting in 1989 on "Chem ical and Dynamical Evolution of Galaxies." The reason for having the meeting in Vulcano was that the Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale (Tor Vergata, Roma) has a long tradition of organizing astronomic al meetings in Vulcano at the pleasant Eolian Hotel, which provides a secluded, beautiful and relaxing environment. The main purpose of this workshop was to gather a representative communi ty of astrophysicists involved in the study of the chemical evolution of the Milky Way both from a theoretical and an observational point of view."

The past two decades have seen remarkable advances in observations of sunspots and their magnetic fields, in imaging of spots and fields in distant stars and in associated theoretical models and numerical simulations. This book provides a comprehensive combined account of the properties of sunspots and starspots. It covers both observations and theory, and describes the intricate fine structure of a sunspot's magnetic field and the prevalence of polar spots on stars. The book includes a substantial historical introduction and treats solar and stellar magnetic activity, dynamo models of magnetic cycles, and the influence of solar variability on the Earth's magnetosphere and climate. This volume is a valuable reference for graduate students and specialists in solar and stellar physics, astronomers, geophysicists, space physicists and experts in fluid dynamics and plasma physics.

Metal-rich stars accumulate their metals from previous generations of stars, and so contain the history of their galaxy. By studying these stars we can gain valuable insights into how metals change the formation and evolution of stars, and explain the extraordinary massive star populations observed in the metal-rich region of our own galaxy. Recent observations of metal-rich regions have shown that stars hosting giant planets are generally metal-rich, which has triggered further observations of metal-rich stars. This has led to the discovery of new exoplanets, and advances in the study of planet formation and the late chemical evolution of galaxies. This book is the first on this topic, and it covers many aspects, from spectral line formation to stellar formation and evolution in high metallicity regimes. It is invaluable to researchers and graduate students in stellar evolution, extragalactic astronomy, and planet formation.

Humans have long thought that planetary systems similar to our own should exist around stars other than the Sun, yet the search for planets outside our Solar System has had a dismal history of discoveries that could not be confirmed. However, this all changed in 1995, with the past decade witnessing astonishing progress in this field; we now know of more than 200 extrasolar planets. These findings mark crucial milestones in the search for extraterrestrial life - arguably one of the most intriguing endeavors of modern science. These proceedings from the Space Telescope Science Institute Symposium on Extrasolar Planets explore one of the hottest topics in astronomy today. Discussions include the Kepler mission, observational constraints on dust disk lifetimes and the implications for planet formation, and gravitational instabilities in protoplanetary disks. With review papers written by world experts in their fields, this is an important resource on extrasolar planets.

The International Astronomical Union has encouraged the study of our galaxy through a series of symposia. This volume contains the proceedings of IAU Symposium No. 84 on the Large-Scale Characteristics of the Galaxy, held in College Park, Maryland, from June 12 to 17, 1978. Symposium No. 84 was jointly sponsored by IAU 2ommission 33, Structure and Dynamics of the Galactic System, and by Commission 34, Interstellar Matter and Planetary Nebulae. The Scientific Organizing Committee consisted of F. J. Kerr (chairman), B. J. Bok, W. B. Burton, J. Einasto, K. C. Freeman, P. O. Lindblad, D. Lynden-Bell, R. Sancisi, S. E. Strom, H. van Woerden, and R. Wielen. The topics and speakers were chosen in order to emphasize current observational material and theoretical results pertaining to various morphological aspects of our galaxy. In preparing the program particular care was taken to relate recent work on other galaxies to the situation in our own galaxy. The meetings were held in the Center for Adult Education on the campus of the University of Maryland. The Local Organizing Committee consisted of B. M .. Zuckerman (chairman), A. P. Henderson, P. D. Jackson, T. A. Matthews, B. F. Perry, V. C. Rubin, P. R. Schwartz, F. W. Stecker, J. D. Trasco, and G. Westerhout. Joan Ball ably assisted this committee. The National Science Foundation made a financial con tribution to the general support of the meeting. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory assisted with some of the participants' travel expenses."

This conference is a tribute to those astronomers who pioneered the investigation of this subject such a short time ago and who carried it through to its present state. (H. Arp, Concluding Remarks of the Conference) A previous conference, covering mainly the observational aspects of Supernovae, was held at the Haute Provence Observatory in September 1963. In the following ten years this field of research has considerably increased; it seemed, therefore, the right time to organize an international conference on Supernovae taking into account that in the meantime important discoveries, such as the Pulsars, had been made, and new techniques of observation were available. This book contains the proceedings of this conference held at Porto Cesareo (Lecce), Italy, during the period May 7 through 11, 1973. About one hundred participants from eighteen countries attended the conference. It was also the first attempt to hold an international conference in the Salento, the southernmost region of Apulia, in whose capital, Lecce, the newly founded Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lecce is located. The program of the conference included the results and techniques of Supernova surveys, photometric and spectral studies, statistics of Supernovae, Supernova Rem nants, and finally, theories on Supernovae and Supernova Remnants.

The Andromeda Galaxy Messier s M31 has an almost romantic appeal. It is the most distant object and the only extragalactic object that is visible to the unaided human eye. Now known to be about 21/2 million light-years away, it appears in the sky to be several times the width of the full Moon under good seeing conditions. The Andromeda Galaxy and the Rise of Modern Astronomy examines the astronomical studies of Andromeda and its importance to our developing knowledge of the universe. The book discusses how M31 was described both by the Ancients, but more importantly, by astronomers from the nineteenth century to the present.

While at the start of the twentieth century the universe was thought of as a finite cosmos dominated by the Milky Way, the study of Andromeda galaxy shattered that image, leading ultimately to the conception of an infinite universe of countless galaxies and vast distances. Even today, M31 is a major focal point for new astronomical discoveries, and it also remains one of the most popular (and rewarding) celestial objects for amateur astronomers to observe and study. This book reveals the little-known history of M31 and the scientists who study it.

For all who are interested in astronomy, the skies, and perhaps even the origins of the universe, The Andromeda Galaxy and the Rise of Modern Astronomy provides a first-of-its-kind accessible, informative, and highly readable account of how the study and observation of this celestial object has driven the development of astronomy from ancient times to the present.

This book contains the invited and contributed lectures presented at a meeting organised in the context of the XVIII general assembly ofthe IAU, held in Patras, August 19, 1982. Roughly one hundred scientists attended this meeting, the discussions were livel- sometimes heated - and the original time span allocated to the meeting was as a result, comfortably exceeded by about 50 % . The aim of this meeting was to determine the role of galactic gamma-ray astronomy within the general concept of galactic astrophysics. The timing, at the end of the COS-B mission, was regarded as opportune, because it gives interested astrophysicists the possibility for interdisciplinary studies using the existing gamma-ray data base (e.g. comparison with infrared, radio, X-ray, etc. astronomies), as well as for theoretical studies. The next generation of gamma-ray detectors will probably not be in operation for another 5 to 10 years, and therefore it is hoped that the proceeding of this meeting can be used (in the intermediate time) as a basis for further studies, as a stimulation for more theoretical work and as an important contribution for defining the aims and operation of future gamma-ray missions. The interrelationship with other branches of astronomy, the astrophysical implications and the study of relevant physical processes using available measurements in the near-Earth environment were important results of the meeting. Many persons contributed to the success of the meeting, in particular all those who either presented a contribution and/or took part in the discussions.

The publication of the morphology - density relation by Alan Dressler in 1980 brought into the limelight the role played by environment in the formation and evolution of galaxies. The symposium Environment and the Formation of Galaxies: 30 years later, was organised with the purpose of establishing the environmental impact on the evolution of galaxies and its dependence on look-back time. Special emphasis was placed on the physical mechanisms that are responsible for transforming galaxies once they are accreted by a group or a cluster, including the observable imprint left in the galaxy HI distribution. Other major topics of the symposium were the environmental dependence of galaxy properties at z 1 and the implementation of environmental effects in cosmological models of galaxy formation and evolution. This book presents the edited proceedings of this stimulating meeting.

In all phases of the life of a star, hydrodynamical processes play a major role. This volume gives a comprehensive overview of the state of knowledge in stellar astrophysical fluid dynamics, and its publication marked the 60th birthday of Douglas Gough, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge and leading contributor to stellar astrophysical fluid dynamics. Topics include properties of pulsating stars, helioseismology, convection and mixing in stellar interiors, dynamics of stellar rotation, planet formation and the generation of stellar and planetary magnetic fields. Each chapter is written by leading experts in the field, and the book provides an overview that is central to any attempt to understand the properties of stars and their evolution. With extensive references to the technical literature, this is a valuable text for researchers and graduate students in stellar astrophysics.