A wide range of topics are covered, ranging from supernovae to active galactic nuclei, cosmic gamma rays to neutrinos and dark matter. The basic emphasis is on physics / astrophysics and experimental / observational techniques, scientific implications of current results, and prospects for future advances. The fields surveyed are in rapid development and the exploration of our high energy universe is proceeding rapidly, with exciting new discoveries. What unifies much of the new data is the idea of particle acceleration to enormous energies and the subsequent interactions of the particles with the local medium. It this focus that makes the book both timely and an important contribution to the field.

Set against the background of beautiful Mirabello Bay, astronomers from fourteen countries met at Elounda, Crete in the period 7-18June, 1999 to debate some of the most compelling issues of present day astrophysics. Neutron stars and black holes have been at the forefront of astrophysics for over thirty years. As recently as ten years ago it was still being debated whether galactic stellar-mass black holes existed or not.It is now generally accepted that many (possibly a thousand) stellar-mass black holes - most of them still undetected - lie in low mass X-ray binary (LMXB) systems; a few of them are detected every year as X-ray or gamma-ray transients. These objects are more massive than 3 M, the maximum possible mass 0 for a neutron star, and show none of the tell-tale signs of neutron stars, such as X-ray bursts and X-ray pulsations. It is quite remarkable that all LMXBs display a similar temporal and spectral behaviour, 'independently of whether the accreting compact object is a neutron star or a black hole. A broad debate on these similarities and differences naturally constituted one of the main focal points during the Elounda meeting. Evidence on these aspects has been forthcoming from the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory (CGRO), the ROSAT and ASCA satellites, the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), and from the Beppo SAX Observatory."

Constellations are not new to astronomy. Even before the era of printing, patterns of stars have been recognized by humans and their histories have been passed on from generation to generation, culture to culture. This book is the ultimate constellation reference book. Finally, a book exists that brings together a variety of information about constellations, including: the size, visibility, and relative brightness of all eighty-eight constellations; former locations of extinct constellations; the number of visible stars in each constellation; and more. Using tables, this information is presented in the first part of the book so that constellations can be readily compared and a general view of them developed. In the second part of the book, each constellation is taken in turn, with a star chart and map illustrating the associated celestial figure, supported by a comprehensive list of essential properties. This highly illustrated volume provides the most complete reference to date covering all aspects of the constellations and will be helpful for astronomers, both amateur and professional, educators and science writers.

It has been more than five decades ago that Henk van de Hulst predicted the observability of the 21-cm line of neutral hydrogen (HI ). Since then use of the 21-cm line has greatly improved our knowledge in many fields and has been used for galactic structure studies, studies of the interstellar medium (ISM) in the Milky Way and other galaxies, studies of the mass distribution of the Milky Way and other galaxies, studies of spiral struc ture, studies of high velocity gas in the Milky Way and other galaxies, for measuring distances using the Tully-Fisher relation etc. Regarding studies of the ISM, there have been a number of instrumen tal developments over the past decade: large CCD's became available on optical telescopes, radio synthesis offered sensitive imaging capabilities, not only in the classical 21-cm HI line but also in the mm-transitions of CO and other molecules, and X-ray imaging capabilities became available to measure the hot component of the ISM. These developments meant that Milky Way was no longer the exclusive playground for ISM studies and that by reaching out to other galaxies astronomy had gained the advantage of having an "outside" view, though at the expense of giving up some linear resolution. Studies of the ISM in other galaxies are intimately connected to studies of the ISM in the Milky Way."

Observing variable stars is one of the major contributions amateur astronomers make to science. There are 36,000 variable stars listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars, so it is clearly impossible for the limited number of professional observatories to target even the majority of them. That's where amateur astronomers come in - thousands of them turning their telescopes to the sky every night. Variable star observing is the most popular of "real science" activities for amateurs, and Gerry Good's book provides everything needed. The first part of the book provides a highly detailed account of the various classes of variable star, with examples, illustrations and physical descriptions. The second section covers practical aspects of observing, everything from preparation and planning, through observing techniques, to data management and reduction.

The stars that comprise a halo around our Galaxy are the source of intrigue - they have abundances of elements that suggest they are old. The properties of these hot stars and similar stars in other galaxies challenge the current, well-established theory of stellar evolution in many ways. Studying the collective properties of these stars provides important input to many areas of astrophysics - including the formation of our Galaxy, the late phases of stellar evolution and the stellar populations of other galaxies. The study of hot stars in the halo of our Galaxy is undergoing a renaissance owing to new observations with the Hubble Space Telescope and ASTRO1 and to techniques recently developed for ground-based observations. Advances in computers have also recently led to a far more detailed and complete theoretical understanding of stellar evolution. A conference was held in Union College, New York, to gather experts in the field. This volume draws together their articles with the aim of providing an up-to-date and comprehensive review for graduate students and researchers.

Whether stargazing with the naked eye or observing deep space with the largest telescopes in the world, humans have a seemingly neverending fascination with the stars. Our ancestors saw patterns in their random arrangement, inventing both tales of legendary heroes and the pastime of dot-to-dot in one fell swoop. But it's only in the last century or so that the natures of these distant lights have been revealed - and it's more incredible than any legend. How are stars born? How long do they live? And just how many times can you read the word 'trillion' before it starts sounding made up? Find out as astronomer Dr Greg Brown of Royal Observatory Greenwich takes a short diversion from obsessing over black holes to illuminate us about the lives of stars - ending in black holes, naturally.

Richly illustrated with a luminous and informative collection of maps, photographs, and graphics, this atlas is the perfect companion for exploring the wonders of the universe as viewed from Earth. This expansive illustrated atlas invites readers to roam the night sky for constellations, planets and moons, eclipses, comets and meteor showers, auroras, and deep-sky treasures including nebulae and galaxies-many visible to the naked eye and all with binoculars or a backyard telescope. Beginning with basic space science and including a complete set of night sky maps for all four seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, this fascinating book guides the reader toward the most rewarding observations. A unique chapter on astro-tourism highlights ancient observatories, dark-sky preserves, and other global destinations for the sky-seeking traveller; a final chapter details current and future space missions and what they might discover. Richly illustrated with awe-inspiring imagery-including photos from space missions and telescopes, science-based artists' interpretations, and explanatory graphics-the book also contains 170 maps and charts of planets, moons, and constellations, from Earth's moon to moons of Saturn. Practical advice throughout helps readers see what they have been reading about, building key observational skills such as "star hopping" from easy-to-find stars to fainter deep-sky objects and focusing on "deep sky treasures:" areas rich in observable phenomena. Approachable and authoritative, gorgeous and fascinating, this large-format illustrated atlas will intrigue all who love to gaze up in wonder at the night sky-and find themselves wanting to know more.

Black holes are undoubtedly one of the most fascinating discoveries of modern astronomy, and their description one of the most daring intellectual feats of modern times. They have already become legendary, forming the basis of many myths, fantasies and science fiction movies. Are they really the monsters which devour light and stars; bottomless celestial pits into which all matter is sucked and crushed? Are they an observable reality, or are they just hypothetical objects from the theory of relativity? In answering such questions the author takes us on a fabulous journey through space and time. Dr Jean-Pierre Luminet is an astronomer at Meudon Observatory in France, a specialist on the subject of black holes, and has also acquired a reputation for being a gifted writer and communicator. In this book he makes the subject of black holes accessible to any interested reader, who will need no mathematical background.

Dr. Jean-Pierre Luminet makes the subject of black holes accessible to any interested reader, who will need no mathematical background. The reader of this book will feel that the developments in modern astrophysics are as fascinating to discover and digest as the most fantastic science fiction novels. While answering such questions, the author takes us on a fabulous journey through space and time. We travel into the realms of supernovae, X-ray stars and quasars--a journey to the very edge of the universe and to the limits of contemporary physics.

Pulsating and eccentric binary stars play a fundamentally important role in deciphering the mass distribution within stars. The present volume reviews the fundamental concepts of both radial and nonradial oscillations in the stars, including the Sun. Helio- and astroseismological results are reviewed, from the basics to the most recent developments. A new theory is presented, which seems to explain the mechanism of the light and radial velocity variations of recently discovered Ap stars. This textbook covers almost all kinds of variable stars of widely different characteristics. It will serve as a reference text for a very long time to come, not only for specialists but also for undergraduate students of physics and astronomy.

The atmospheres of many stars have chemical compositions that are significantly different from that of the interstellar medium from which they are formed. This symposium considered all kinds of late-type stars showing altered compositions, the carbon stars being simply the best-known of these. All stages of stellar evolution from the main sequence to the ejection of a planetary nebula were considered, with emphasis on the changes that occur on the asymptotic giant branch. The spectroscopic properties of the photospheres and circumstellar envelopes of chemically-peculiar red giant stars, their origins via single-star evolution or mass transfer in binary systems, and the methods currently used to study them in 2000 were all discussed in detail. This volume includes the full texts of papers given orally at the symposium and abstracts of the posters.

A few years after the publication of The Physics of Star Formation and Early Stellar Evolution, we received a request from the publisher for an up dated second edition of this popular reference book. As originally intended, the volume had proved to be a useful "text" book for graduate astronomy courses and seminars which dealt with topics related to stellar origins. The book was based on a series of lectures delivered by a distinguished group of leading researchers at a NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) held in May 1990 on the island of Crete, Greece. The primary goal of the ASI was in fact to produce a book which "would simultaneously provide a broad and systematic overview of, as well as a rigorous introduction to, the fun damental physics and astronomy at the heart of modern research in star formation and early stellar evolution. " However, by 1995 concern had arisen among those who used the text as a reference for graduate seminars and courses that the book would need to be updated to stay abreast of the discoveries and progress in this rapidly evolving field. After some discussion we concluded that a new edition of the book was warranted and that the goal of producing a new edition would be best accomplished by organizing a second ASI in Crete to review the progress in star formation research."

Designed with the beginner in mind and useful to anyone interested in astronomy. Star Maps for Beginners is the classic guide to viewing and understanding the heavens. Its superb maps -- drawn in the shape of two crossed ellipses -- provide the reader with a unique perspective on the sky and have been widely acknowledged as the easiest system yet devised for locating any constellation at any time of the year.

Now revised for the 1990s, with updated planet charts and a new section on spotting meteor showers. Star Maps for Beginners includes:

12 complete maps -- one for each month -- showing the positions of the constellations viewed from every direction
a synoptic table that shows how to choose the proper map for use at any time special tables that give approximate positions of the planets for the years 1992 through 1997
the most up-to-date overview of the solar system available today the latest facts about each of the planets -- orbit, size, atmosphere, internal structure, climate, and terrain
a full chapter on the history and development of the constellations, and the ancient legends and mythological lore surrounding them
a special section on meteors -- how they originate and when and where to spot them.

Initially published in 1942 and now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Star Maps for Beginners has sold more than 450,000 copies.

Most galaxies are in clusters, where tidal interactions are not uncommon. Tidal and dynamical interaction in galaxies are of importance in studying evolution. A large amount of data has been collected on dust-lane ellipticals, polar ring galaxies, spirals with extended warps, and galaxies with inclined HI rings or unusual 'tails'. This book is a record of a meeting which was held at the University of Pittsburgh. It provided an informal, yet focused environment for the interaction of astronomers who have addressed these questions with a wide variety of skills, techniques and points of view.

The classification of stars into their various types is one of the fundamental areas of astronomy. This book is a comprehensive handbook on the tools, methods and results of stellar taxonomy. Although this subject is firmly rooted in classical astronomy, vast improvements in observational techniques have transformed the subject and greatly broadened the wavelength regions available for study. The first six chapters describe modern methods of spectroscopic and photometric classification. The remaining nine chapters describe particular families of stars, progressing from the hottest to the coolest. Within each category a description is given of the normal type and all the peculiar stars. Throughout the emphasis is on the phenomenology of classification, rather than the underlying astrophysics. Both authors have devoted themselves to developing the international centre for stellar data at Strasbourg, which uniquely qualifies them to write this definitive handbook for professional astronomers.

The 186th IAU Symposium came at an exciting and perhaps even historic time for extragalactic astronomy. New spacecraft observations plumbed the depths of the Universe out to redshifts of five, while revealing astounding details of nearby galaxies and AGN at intermediate redshifts. Theoretical ideas on structure formation, together with results from detailed numerical modeling, created a comprehensive framework for modeling the formation of galaxies and the transformation of galaxies by interactions and mergers. All these strands came together at the Symposium, as participants glimpsed a developing synthesis highlighting galactic encounters and their role in the history of the Universe. This volume offers professional astronomers, including PhD students, an overview of the rapidly advancing subject of galaxy interactions at low and high redshifts.

Planetary nebulae present a fascinating range of shapes and morphologies. They are ideal laboratories for the study of different astrophysical processes: atomic physics, radiative transfer, stellar winds, shocks, wind-wind interaction, and the interaction between stellar winds and the interstellar medium. In addition, planetary nebulae provide information about the late stages of stellar evolution. In the last five years studies of planetary nebulae have progressed very rapidly and new phenomena and insights have been gained. This is partly due to new observations (e.g. from the Hubble Space Telescope, the ISO satellite and new infrared and millimeter spectrographs) and partly to the advancement of hydrodynamic simulations of the structures of planetary nebulae (PN). Many of these new results were reported at IAU Symposium 180 in Groningen, the Netherlands, on August 26 to 30, 1996. This symposium was dedicated to one of the pioneers of PN research: Stuart Pottasch. These proceedings contain chapters on: Introduction to PN with the basic parameters Distances of PN The central stars of PN The envelopes of PN The evolution from AGB to PN The evolution from PN to white dwarfs PN in the galactic context PN in extragalactic systems The future of PN research . The book contains 29 reviews and more than 200 shorter contributions.

Ce volume contient les revues invitees et les presentations orales du Symposium VAl 181 Sounding Solar and Stellar Interiors, tenu a Nice du 30 septembre au 3 octobre 1996. Les posters presentes a cette conference 1 sont publies dans un volume separe. Depuis Ie lancement avec succes du satellite SoRO Ie 2 Decembre 1995, et apres des annees d'efforts importants dans Ie domaine de l'helio- et l'asterosismologie, il a semble approprie de tenir un symposium dedie aux consequences de la sismologie pour notre connaissance de la structure in- terne du Soleil et des etoiles. Le but etait de presenter a la communaute entiere les nouveaux resultats de l'heliosismologie obtenus aussi bien par les experiences spatiales que par les reseaux exist ants au sol, ainsi que les avancees theoriques dans les domaines de la structure et de la physique de l'interieur solaire. Ce but a ete largement atteint: alors que SoRO ne fournissait des don- nees que depuis environ 6 mois, la qualite des donnees heliosismologiques a ete largement amelioree, de nouvelles techniques ont ete elaborees comme la "telechronosismologie" (nom propose par D. Gough dans sa conclusion pour l'analyse temps-distance), et de nouveaux mecanismes physiques ont ete proposes pour tenter de reduire les differences persist antes entre Ie Soleil observe et les modeles standard.

It is not an exaggeration to say that one of the most exciting predictions of Einstein's theory of gravitation is that there may exist "black holes" putative objects whose gravitational fields are so strong that no physical bodies or signals can break free of their pull and escape. The proof that black holes do exist, and an analysis of their properties, would have a significance going far beyond astrophysics. Indeed, what is involved is not just the discovery of yet another even if extremely remarkable, astro physical object, but a test of the correctness of our understanding of the properties of space and time in extremely strong gravitational fields. Theoretical research into the properties of black holes, and into the possible corol laries of the hypothesis that they exist, has been carried out with special vigor since the beginning of the 1970's. In addition to those specific features of black holes that are important for the interpretation of their possible astrophysical manifestations, the theory has revealed a number of unexpected characteristics of physical interactions involving black holes. By the middle of the 1980's a fairly detailed understanding had been achieved of the properties of the black holes, their possible astrophysical manifestations, and the specifics of the various physical processes involved. Even though a completely reliable detection of a black hole had not yet been made at that time, several objects among those scrutinized by astrophysicists were considered as strong candidates to be confirmed as being black holes."

Herbig-Haro objects were discovered 50 years ago, and during this half century they have developed from being mysterious small nebulae to be coming an important phenomenon in star formation. Indeed, HH flows are now recognized not only as fascinating astrophysical laboratories involving shock physics and chemistry, hydrodynamics and radiation processes, but it has gradually been realized that HH flows hold essential clues to the birth and early evolution of low mass stars. IAU Symposium No. 182 on Herbig-Haro Flows and the Birth of Low Mass Stars were held from January 20 to 24, 1997 in Chamonix in the french alps. A total of 178 researchers from 26 countries met to discuss our present level of understanding of Herbig-Haro flows and their relation to disk accretion events and T Tauri winds and other outflow phenomena like molecular outflows, embedded molecular hydrogen flows and radio jets. The present book contains the manuscripts from the oral contributions of the symposium. The poster papers were printed in a separate volume Low Mass Star Formation - from Infall to Outflow, edited by Fabien Malbet and Alain Castets, which was distributed at the beginning of the meeting. Together these two books document the vigorous state and the scientific appeal which research into Herbig-Haro flows and related issues in star formation enjoys today, observationally as well as theoretically."

There are many books on finding your way round the night sky, but the Photo-guide to the Constellations is unique in showing photographs of how the sky really looks under a variety of different seeing conditions, from city outskirts to the almost-perfect skies deep in the countryside. Along with a detailed step-by-step guide to "star hopping" and other useful techniques, these make this an invaluable guide for all newcomers to astronomy.

Advanced technologies in astronomy at various wavelengths have provided us with high-resolution and high-quality data of the central regions of nearby galaxies and of the Milky Way Galaxy. These data, both for the Galaxy and extragalactic centers, are now quite suitable for detailed comparative study. This IAU symposium was aimed at understanding the general characteristics of dynamics, ISM physics and magnetic fields, activities including inflow and outflow, as well as starburst, in the `galactic centers'. Special attention was also given to several cases for massive black holes in galaxies and the Galaxy, and to understanding the physics of nuclei associated with black holes.

For twenty years, the author has contested the 'establishment' view of quasars as the most distant objects in the universe. In this book, Arp presents the original observations and fundamental data on quasars and galaxies, and explains why he has concluded that: far from being the most distant objects in the universe, quasars are associated in space with relatively nearby galaxies; quasars' enormous redshifts do not arise from the expansion of the universe, but rather are intrinsic properties of the quasars themselves; many galaxies show redshift anomalies related to quasars' redshifts; quasars and galaxies have an origin far different from that assumed in the 'standard' big-bang model of the universe; many astronomers, despite the accumulation of compelling evidence, defend what Arp believes is a fundamentally incorrect assumption about cosmic objects.

Starbursts are regions of unusually rapid star formation often located in the central parts of galaxies. Recent observational and theoretical developments have emphasized their importance to understand the connection between star formation, the interstellar medium, and the secular evolution of galaxies. In this book, leading experts in the field introduce the basic processes involved in the physics of starbursts, the phenomenological concepts which are used to describe and model their triggering and evolution, and their link to galaxy formation and history. A specific effort is made to start with pedagogical presentations and to review the state-of-the art of the observations and models, emphasizing the recent breakthroughs and the major issues to be explored in the future.