This volume gives and excellent survey of our present knowledge of molecularprocesses in stellar and proto-stellar objects. It reviews molecular physicsin stellar environments and is intended to bridge the gap between astrophysicists and chemists. The topics range from the theoretical to the computational and include observational data. Among the topics treated are questions of stellar evolution, the determination of physical propertiesand structures , and the chemical composition of stellar protospheres. Opacity is studied in the context of various types of stellar and proto-stellar objects.

This volume provides an overview of our current understanding of the physics related to: coronal structures and coronal heating; large-scale coronal shock waves and coronal mass ejections; particle beams in the solar corona and in the interplanetary medium; and explosive energy-release phenomena and particle acceleration. The different articles give a well-balanced presentation of relevant observations based upon various techniques, models and theories, providing a global view of these phenomena and of the underlying physics. In-situ measurements of particles and waves with ULYSSES and WIND and spectral and imaging data from SOHO and YOHKOH provide an unprecedented richness of relevant data. For their better understanding, radio observations - also included in this book - play a key role.

The study of the magnetic fields of the Earth and Sun, as well as those of other planets, stars, and galaxies, has a long history and a rich and varied literature, including in recent years a number of review articles and books dedicated to the dynamo theories of these fields. Against this background of work, some explanation of the scope and purpose of the present monograph, and of the presentation and organization of the material, is therefore needed. Dynamo theory offers an explanation of natural magnetism as a phenomenon of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), the dynamics governing the evolution and interaction of motions of an electrically conducting fluid and electromagnetic fields. A natural starting point for a dynamo theory assumes the fluid motion to be a given vector field, without regard for the origin of the forces which drive it. The resulting kinematic dynamo theory is, in the non-relativistic case, a linear advection-diffusion problem for the magnetic field. This kinematic theory, while far simpler than its magnetohydrodynamic counterpart, remains a formidable analytical problem since the interesting solutions lack the easiest symmetries. Much ofthe research has focused on the simplest acceptable flows and especially on cases where the smoothing effect of diffusion can be exploited. A close analog is the advection and diffusion of a scalar field by laminar flows, the diffusion being measured by an appropriate Peclet number. This work has succeeded in establishing dynamo action as an attractive candidate for astrophysical magnetism.

Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts, which has appeared in semi-annual volumes since 1969, is de voted to the recording, summarizing and indexing of astronomical publications throughout the world. It is prepared under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (according to a resolution adopted at the 14th General Assembly in 1970). Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts aims to present a comprehensive documentation of literature in all fields of astronomy and astrophysics. Every effort will be made to ensure that the averagetime interval between the date of receipt of the original literature and publication ofthe abstracts will not exceed eight months. This time interval is near to that achieved by monthly abstracting journals, com pared to which our system of accumulating abstracts for about six months offers the advantage of greater convenience for the user. Volume 17 contains literature published in 1976 and received before August 15, 1976; some older literature which was received late and which is not recorded in earlier volumes is also included. We acknowledge with thanks contributions to this volume by Dr. J. Bouska, who surveyed journals and publications in the Czech languageand supplied us with abstracts in English, and by the Common wealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (C.S.I.R.O.), Sydney, for providing titles and abstracts of papers on radio astronomy. We want to acknowledge valuable contributions to this vol ume by Zentralstelle fur Atomkernenergie-Dokumentation, Leopoldshafen, which supported our ab stracting service by sending us retrospective literature searches."

This book addresses graduate students in astronomy and astrophysics. The first part is devoted to galactic high-energy astrophysics. It treats particle accelerations (including shocks), the interstellar medium and supernovae remnants, high-energy emissions from normal stars and accretion in close binaries. The second part deals with observationslike pulsar timing, and its measurement with radioastronomical tools, and astrometry, as performed in the HIPPARCOS satellite program.

Recent research on the solar-stellar system has been triggered by a host of recent observational data, in particular from space based observations. For this conference the major topics selected centered on new measurement capabilities (magnetic fields and infrared, with specific emphasis on the new IRAS results), important classes of stars (F stars, M dwarfs and giants, and pre-main sequence stars), and interesting unanswered questions (the nature of nonthermal phenomena, heating processes, angular momentum evolution, and the existence and cause of the corona/wind dividing line). Each section is opened by two or more invited lectures aimed at a wide audience, including graduate students, and continues with some research papers. The proceedings also record the two general discussions on the role of magnetic fields in cool star atmospheres and the role of monitoring programs for studies of cool stars (see also Lecture Notes in Physics Vol. 292).

This book addresses physicists working in general relativity, astrophysics and cosmology. The contributions are based on reports given at a summer school the goal of which was to review modern research for students. The school was centered on the study of gravitational fields corresponding to rotating objects of astrophysical interest, under different viewpoints: theoretical, numerical and observational. Special emphasis is put on the analysis of interior and exterior fields of stationary axisymmetric systems. Lectures and contributions, collected here in Part I, ranged from basic information useful to newcomers to technical points pertaining to current research in this area. Part II contains lectures and contributions on other aspects of gravitation theory.

This is an exhaustive survey of present-day solar research including both theory and observations. It deals with eruptive flares, filament eruption in x-rays and radio waves, energy release and transport, and terrestrial response to solar flares. Details of the most recent SOLAR-A project (launched shortly after the conference) are also presented.

This is the second ESO workshop in aseries dedicated to science oppor tunities with the VLT. At the first workshop all areas of astronomical research were discussed. This second workshop is dedicated to research projects on the early Universe and has provided a forum for discussing strategies for studying faint distant objects in the optical and infrared spectral regions. This field is evolving very rapidly. There are several new surveys of galax ies and clusters of galaxies at intermediate redshift and quasars at very high redshift. Major advances in the morphological studies of distant galaxies, surveys of galaxies at high redshift and searches for primeval galaxies have been rendered possible by the new facilities provided by the Rubble Space Telescope and the Keck Telescope. Observational constraints on the evolution and formation of galaxies and large-scale structures as well as the cosmic chemical evolution were criti cally discussed with regard to theory and numerical simulations. In this context, the VLT first generation instrument capabilities were presented comprehensively and their use as cosmological tools discussed . The concluding remarks of the workshop focussed on the analysis of var ious possibilities for the VLT second generation instrumentation. Many of these topics were covered by invited reviews and talks, as well as some contributed talks. They are included in this volume together with the poster papers.

This volume brings together theoretical ideas on the plasma physics of both hot and dense plasmas in the solar atmosphere and similar physics applied to the tenuous and cooler plasmas found in the heliosphere. It is complemented by recent observations. Helioseismology covers the solar interior and the neutrino problem. Solar and stellar activity cycles are addressed. The dynamics of magnetic flux tubes in the solar atmosphere and material flows through the chromosphere into the upper atmosphere are comprehensively reviewed. Energy release processes and the production of energetic particles are important to understanding events in the solar atmosphere and to the dynamics of the tenuous heliosphere. A glimpse of the future is offered by concluding chapters on new ground-based and space instrumentation.

In this volume seven leading theoreticians and experimenters review the origin of the asymmetry of matter and antimatter in the Big Bang, solar neutrinos, the physics of enormous densities and temperatures in stars and of immense magnetic fields around collapsed stars, strong electric fields in heavy ion collisions, and the extreme conditions in quark-gluon plasmas. The articles address nuclear and particle physicists, especially graduate students, but also astrophysicists and cosmologists, since they have to deal with events under the extreme physical conditions discussed here.

Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit, The sky is, up above the roof, Si bleu, si calme So blue, so calm Un arbre, par-dessus Je toit, A tree there, up above the roof, Berce sa palme. Waves leaves of palm. La cloche, dans le ciel qu'on voit, A church bell, in the sky I see, Doucement tinte. Softly tolls. Un oiseau, sur l'arbre qu'on voit, A bird, upon the tree I see, Chante sa plainte. Sadly calls. PAUL VERLAINE Like Verlaine, we are in prison. The prison is our Earth, "which is so pretty"; our atmosphere and its clouds, its "marvellous clouds." (You would think that Verlaine, Prevert and Baudelaire had been comparing notes ) The sky is up above the roof... A tree there, up above the roof... Stars in the sky, like birds ... their rays, like bells (and here we are with Apollinaire ) What we see opens the way to what we guess at; what we observe Ieads us towards the unobservable. A poem releases images, and the invisible grows big with reality. Astronomcrs are a little like poets (indirectly from the Greek 7tostco, make): they make the universe by interpreting messages, extrapolating spectra, and inventing 'models' of the cosmos or of stars - fictional constructions whose observable part constitutes only a small fraction of the whole, and which only the inductive logic of the theoretician allows us to consider as representing unique physical reality.

The articles collected in this volume cover topics ranging from Planck-scale physics to galaxy clustering. They deal with various new ideas from cosmology, astrophysics and particle physics that might lead to a better understanding of our physical universe. Among the topics covered are inflationary models, nucleosynthesis, dark matter, large-scale clustering, cosmic microwave background radiations and more. The book addresses researchers but it also gives a good overview of the subject for graduate students in astrophysics and particle physics.

The five lectures presented in this volume address very timely mathematical problems in relativity and cosmology. "Part I" is devoted to the initial value and evolution problems of the Einstein equations. Especially it deals with the Einstein-Yang-Mills-Boltzmann system, fluid models with finite or infinite conductivity, global evolution of a new (two-phase) model for gravitational collapse and the structure of maximal, asymptotically flat, vacuum solutions of the constraint equations which have the additional property of containing trapped surfaces. "Part II" focuses on geometrical-topological problems in relativity and cosmology: on the role of cosmic censorship for the global structure of the Einstein-Maxwell equations and on the mathematical structure of quantum conformal superspace.

This book contains the proceedings of a workshop held in Schloss Ringberg to assess developments in molecular cloud research over the last 25 years, and to discuss trends for future research in the field of molecular line astronomy. The topics include the morphology, formation, and lifetimes of molecular clouds, and their relation to star formation. Also, the chemical and isotopic content of these clouds is reviewed, and comparisons with molecular clouds in external galaxies are made. This rather complete survey of this important field of research addresses researchers in astronomy and students alike."

IAU Colloquium No. 71 had its immediate origins in a small gathering of people interested. in the optical and UV study of flare stars which took place during the 1979 Montreal General Assembly. We recognized that a fundamental change was taking place in the study of these objects. Space-borne instruments (especially lUE and Einstein) and a new genera tion of ground-based equipment were having a profound effect on the range of investigations it was possible to make. To extract maximum benefit from these new possibilities it would be necessary as never before to have good communication with colleagues in other disciplines, for instance, . with atomic and solar physicists. Similarly, studies of phenomena associated with the outer atmospheres of the late-type stars could now hope to give significant insights into certain aspects of solar activity. So, in view of the wide range of backgrounds of those participating, the meeting had an unusually high proportion of invited reviews while most of the contributed papers were presented as posters. It is gratifying that in the short time since the meeting a good deal of correspondence has been received from participants remarking on the success of this format. Once the decision had been taken in principle to hold the meeting, a very considerable amount of work fell on the two organizing committees, viz. the Scientific and Local Organizing Committees. The Scientific Organizing Committee was chaired by D.J. Mullan and consisted of A.D."

Space exploration and advanced astronomy have dramatically expanded our knowledge of outer space and made it possible to study the indepth mechanisms underlying various natural phenomena caused by complex interaction of physical-chemical and dynamical processes in the universe. Huge breakthroughs in astrophysics and the planetary s- ences have led to increasingly complicated models of such media as giant molecular clouds giving birth to stars, protoplanetary accretion disks associated with the solar system's formation, planetary atmospheres and circumplanetary space. The creation of these models was promoted by the development of basic approaches in modern - chanics and physics paralleled by the great advancement in the computer sciences. As a result, numerous multidimensional non-stationary problems involving the analysis of evolutionary processes can be investigated using wide-range numerical experiments. Turbulence belongs to the most widespread and, at the same time, the most complicated natural phenomena, related to the origin and development of organized structures (- dies of different scale) at a definite flow regime of fluids in essentially non-linear - drodynamic systems. This is also one of the most complex and intriguing sections of the mechanics of fluids. The direct numerical modeling of turbulent flows encounters large mathematical difficulties, while the development of a general turbulence theory is hardly possible because of the complexity of interacting coherent structures. Three-dimensional non-steady motions arise in such a system under loss of la- nar flow stability defined by the critical value of the Reynolds number.

Recent advances in observational and theoretical efforts in understanding the nature of cataclysmic variables had reached such maturity that there existed a strong, shared feeling among the workers in this field that an international colloquium sponsored by the International Astronomical Union would be timely. To be more specific, this was due primarily to the accumulation of the new data from satellite observatories, such as the International Ultraviolet Observatory (IUE) and EXOSAT, as well as ground-based optical and radio telescopes, and the advances in modeling the putative accretion disks and the thermo-nuclear run-away phenomena in the vinicity of the white dwarf stars in cataclysmic variables. A series of workshops on this subject held in North America over the past several years and that held in Europe in 1985 had all contributed to the advances in our knowledge that led to IAU Colloguium No. 93, held in Bamberg from the 16th to 19th of June 1986. In all, 157 astronomers from 27 countries participated in this conference. Judging from the papers presented, both invited and contributed, and from the enthusiasm seen in discussions, the meeting was indeed a success.

The universe is the largest system of all. It consists of elementary particles bound together by gravitational, electromagnetic and nuclear forces. Its structural hierar chy in space (from atomic nuclei to supergalaxies) and its evolutionary sequence (from the fireball to the diversity of present forms) is governed by the properties of elementary particles and their interactions. This book is an attempt to interpret the structure and evolution of the universe in terms of elementary particles and of their interactions. This book is intended to present a background for students in astronomy and related sciences, such as geophysics, meteorology, plasma physics, chemistry, nuc lear physics, space sciences and some others. The universe forms a general framework fo: all the phenomena studied by these sciences. It was possible to squeeze an extensive range of topics from various disciplines into one book of acceptable size only under some severe limitations: (a) no references are given; (b) arguments are shortcut; (c) quantities are often expressed in the order of magnitude; and (d) formulae have been limited to a minimum. Often more hypo theses or theories exist for a phenomenon. We have chosen only one. The preference for a theory or hypothesis may be personal and the theory itself may later prove incorrect. But, many theories about a particular phenomenon would cover many pages and might lead to confusing effects."

The present volume colleets the review and contributed papers presented at the Europhysics Study Conferenee "Acere- tion Disks and Magnetie Fields in Astrophysies" held in Noto, Sicily, Italy, from 16 to 21 June 1988, under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republie and the 10ea1 patronage of the Cent ro di Studi Superiori e di Rieer- ehe (Center for Advaneed Study and Research), a seientific institution supported by the City of Nota and the Oniversity of Catania. The attendanee to the Conferenee was limited to about fifty seleeted partieipants from Canada, China, Denmark, Franee, Germany F.R., Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sl~itzerland. Onited Kingdom and Onited States, in order to give the meeting the character and appearance of areal lolorkshop, whose main aim was to highl ight a varied but same wh at uni fied picture of the interact ion, in di fferent astrophysical systems, of rotation, turbulenee and magnetism, with speeifie referenee to aeeretion disks.

This book guides readers (astronomers, physicists, and university students) through central questions of Practical Cosmology, a term used by the late Allan Sandage to denote the modern scientific endeavor to find the cosmological model best describing the universe of galaxies, its geometry, size, age, and matter composition. The authors draw on their personal experience in astrophysics and cosmology to explain key concepts of cosmology, both observational and theoretical, and to highlight several items which give cosmology its special character. These highlighted items are: Ideosyncratic features of the cosmic laboratory, Malmquist bias in the determination of cosmic distances, Theory of gravitation as a cornerstone of cosmological models, Crucial tests for checking the reality of space expansion, Methods of analyzing the structures of the universe as mapped by galaxies, Usefulness of fractals as a model to describe the large-scale structure and new cosmological physics inherent in the Friedmann world model."

The symposium Star Clusters in the Era of Large Surveys was held in Lisbon on Sep 9-10 during the JENAM 2010. It served as a platform for discussing what and how recent, on-going and planned large-area ground-based and space-based surveys can contribute to producing a major leap in this research field, which has a strong European history.

Scientific topics addressed included: cluster searches, clustered vs. isolated star formation, large-scale star formation, enrichment of the field population, structure, populations and evolution of the Milky Way, cluster dynamics (internal and within the Milky Way), variability of stars in clusters (from time-resolved surveys), analysis techniques for large samples and archiving.

This proceedings book provides a snapshot of the ongoing discussion on the role of large surveys in star cluster research, and serves as a reference volume for the state-of-the art in the field."