Classifying Object by Medium-Band Observations in 17 filters (COMBO-17) has already produced a very accurate picture of galaxy evolution since z~1 based on 25000 galaxies in 17 medium optical bands. We now extend the range of reliable multi-color redshifts with COMBO-17+4, a deep optical-NIR survey which will combine the existing optical data set of COMBO-17 with near infrared observation in three medium bands: Y(λ/Δλ = 1040/80nm), J1(1190/130nm) and J2(1320/130nm) and one broad band H(1650/300nm). The NIR bands extend the photometric redshift range to z~2.1. COMBO 17+4 will provide the first large sample of galaxies (>5000) at 1<z<2 with a redshifts accuracy of Δz<0.03(1+z). Three fields are observed: Abell 901, Abell 226 and the COMBO 11h-field, for a total coverage of 0.77□2 of the sky. Each COMBO 17+4 field measures 31 × 30 sqarcmin. The NIR bands are observed with the Omega2000 camera at Calar Alto Observatory in Spain.

The scientific goals for this study are multiple. COMBO-17+4 will enable us to establish the luminosity function for the red sequence and blue galaxies in the redshift range 1<z<2. Also it will be possible to determine the formation history at z=2 by analyzing the width of the red sequence galaxies. Moreover this survey will provide several thousand of individual galaxy masses (with an accuracy <30%) obtained with Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) template fitting. Once the masses are obtained the mass function will provide a useful tool to test the hierarchical model of evolution of galaxies by checking whether the massive red sequence galaxies (logM>10.5) are already in place at z>1.5 (9Gyr).

We present first results from the full 21 bands photometry in half of the Abell 901 field. It allows us to study not only z>1 galaxies but also the stellar content of several hundred cluster galaxies.

Andromeda galaxy (M31,NGC224) is the biggest spiral in the Local Group. By studying the star formation history(SFH) and chemical evolution of M31, and comparing with the Milky Way Galaxy, we are able to understand more about the formation and evolution of spiral galaxies.

RNO91 is class II source currently in a transition phase between a protostar and a main-sequence star. It is known as a source of complex molecular outflows. Previous studies suggested that RNO91 was associated with a reflection nebula, a CO outflow, shock-excited H2 emission, and disk type structure. But the geometry of RNO91, especially its inner region, is not well confirmed yet. High resolution imaging is needed to understand the nature of RNO91 and its interaction with outflow. Thus, we conducted near-infrared imaging observations of RNO91 with the infrared camera CIAO mounted on the Subaru 8.2-m Telescope. We presented JHK band and optical images which resolved a complex asymmetrical circumstellar structure. We examined the color of RNO91 nebula and compared the geometry of the system suggested by our data with that already proposed on the basis of other studies. Our main results are as follows; 1. The K-band images show significant halo emission detected within ~2″ around the peak position while less halo emission is seen in shorter wavelength images such as J and optical. The nebula appears to become more circular and more diffuse with increasing wavelengths. The cut-off at 300AU derived from our radial surface brightness is consistent with the size of the polarization disk suggested by Draper & Tadhunter (1993). These consistencies indicate that this optically thick region is attributed to a disk-like structure.

2. At J and optical, several bluer knot-like structures are detected around and beyond the halo emission. These bluer knots seen in our images are comparable to the size of the envelope detected in HCO+ emission surrounding RNO91 (Lee & Ho 2005). It is thus natural to suggest that these bluer knots are the near-infrared light scattered by an envelope structure which is disrupted by molecular outflows.

3. The pseudo-true color composite image has an appearance of arc-shaped emission extending to the north and to the east through RNO91. On the counter part of this arc-shaped structure, the nebula appears to become more extended to the southwest from the central peak position in J band and optical images. We interpret these whole structures as a bottom of bipolar cavity seen relatively edge-on opening to the north and south directions.

We present an overview of our work on shape and spin state determination of asteroids from photometric data sparse in time. Our results are based on simulations that were performed using realistic shape and light-scattering models and time sequences that will be provided by Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System). We show some typical examples of physical model reconstruction of main belt and near-Earth asteroids and discuss the lightcurve inversion of slow and fast rotators, binary asteroids and tumbling asteroids. We emphasize the scientific potential of sparse photometric data to produce models of a large number of asteroids within the next few years.

The process of accretion onto the isolated black holes under the various conditions of the ISM and its observational manifestations are discussed. For the majority of the Galaxy volume the accretion rate is as low as 10−6–10−9 of Eddington one, and the accretion is spherically-symmetric. Such objects manifest itself as a weak optical and x-ray sources with featureless spectra and the significant variability of the emission.

For the BH located inside the dense molecular cloud the regime of accretion depends on its massand velocity. A massive (100–1000M⊙) BH born in the cloud or having low relative velocity, may manifest itself as a ultra-luminous x-ray source (ULX).

The IAU Joint Discussion 16 was held at the IAU XXVI General Assembly in Prague, in August 2006. The title of the meeting was Nomenclature, Precession and new models in Fundamental Astronomy. Applications and scientific contribution to astronomy. It was organized by IAU Division I (Fundamental Astronomy) and Commission 19 (Earth Rotation), with the participation of IAU Division, X (Radio Astronomy) and all the Division, I Commissions, as well as with the support of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG). The Scientific Organizing Committee was made up of the three organizers and the representatives of these scientific bodies.

A large population of helium-core-burning clump stars of the Galactic field, revealed by the Hipparcos orbiting observatory, is an excellent target for the analysis of mixing processes in evolved low-mass metal-abundant stars. In this contribution we overview first result of 12C, 13C, N and O abundance determinations in our extensive project which we started with the aim at deriving the fundamental parameters and abundances of more than 20 chemical elements in a large sample of Galactic clump stars.

LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) is an innovative radio telescope optimized for the frequency range 30–240 MHz. The telescope is realized as a phased aperture array without any moving parts. Digital beam forming allows the telescope to point to any part of the sky within a second. Transient buffering makes retrospective imaging of explosive short-term events possible. The scientific focus of LOFAR will initially be on four key science projects (KSPs): (i) Detection of the formation of the very first stars and galaxies in the universe during the so-called epoch of reionization by measuring the power spectrum of the neutral hydrogen 21-cm line (Shaver et al. 1999) on the ∼ 5′ scale; (ii) Low-frequency surveys of the sky with of order 108 expected new sources; (iii) All-sky monitoring and detection of transient radio sources such as γ-ray bursts, X-ray binaries, and exo-planets (Farrell et al. 2004); and (iv) Radio detection of ultra-high energy cosmic rays and neutrinos (Falcke & Gorham 2003) allowing for the first time access to particles beyond 1021 eV (Scholten et al. 2006). Apart from the KSPs open access for smaller projects is also planned. Here we give a brief description of the telescope.

We have found massive clumps without any sign of active star formation in the AFGL 333 cloud. We present a study of the physical and chemical properties of the AFGL 333 cloud.

Evolution of rotating globular clusters with embedded black holes is presented. The interplay between velocity diffusion due to relaxation and black hole star accretion is followed together with cluster rotation, using 2-dimensional, in energy and z-component of angular momentum, Fokker Planck numerical methods. Gravogyro and gravothermal instabilities drive the system to a faster evolution leading to shorter collapse times and a faster cluster dissolution in the tidal field of a parent galaxy.

Angular momentum transport and star accretion support the development of central rotation in relaxation time scales. Two-dimensional distribution (in the meridional plane) of kinematical and structural parameters (density, dispersions, rotation) are reproduced, with the aim to enable the use of set of models for comparison with observational data.

The questions addressed in this large and popular meeting were: What mature proposals for the new large astronomical facilities of the next decade are available? When can they be funded? What international planning is underway?

In spherical symmetry, very reliable models of stellar core collapse, bounce, and the postbounce phase can be constructed based on general relativistic Boltzmann neutrino transport. However, even if the time-integrated neutrino luminosity in the region between the surface of the protoneutron star and the stalled accretion shock is one or two orders of magnitude larger than the energy of a supernova explosion, it is generally accepted that the net energy transfer is not efficient enough to drive an explosion, unless the fluid instabilities in this regime are taken into account. Complementary to other groups, who are elaborating an extension of the accurate neutrino physics to axisymmetric simulations, we construct efficient parameterizations of the neutrino physics that enable three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamics simulations that do not constrain the fluid instabilities by artificially imposed symmetries. We evaluate our approximations with respect to spherically symmetric Boltzmann neutrino transport, present preliminary MHD simulations with a resolution of 600 zones cubed, and illustrate the questions that can be addressed by this approach.

We present a case study of “Khagol Mandal,” a voluntary organization primarily based in Mumbai, India. In the 20 years since its inception, Khagol Mandal has given more than 1000 public outreach programmes. The volunteers strive to go beyond amateur level by means of various study tours, astronomical experiments and workshops. These activities have inspired a number of students to take professional astronomy careers. With a volunteer force, probably largest in India or even south Asia, Khagol Mandal is well poised to take advantage of the archival data of large telescopes. With a little guidance from senior researchers, organizations like Khagol Mandal can provide a solution to the ever-increasing need for manpower for ancillary science from these large-scale facilities.

Small amplitude variable red giants were discovered long time ago (Eggen 1969, Henry et al. 2000, Jorison et al. 1997). The revolutionary turning point for the study of this type of variable was due to the work of Wood (2000) and Soszyński et al. (2004) based on the very large stellar sample of the Magellanic clouds MACHO project and OGLE photometric data. By using our non-local time-dependent theory of convection (Xiong 1989), we carried out a linear stability survey for red giants with initial mass of M = 1 − 3M⊙. Explanations for the observed variabilities and analysis of mode identifications in red giant stars are presented in this work.

As a result of collective efforts of an Australian–New Zealand VLBI team, the first New Zealand VLBI system was developed, and a series of test observations between New Zealand and Australia conducted. The equipment and techniques used to conduct New Zealand's first VLBI observations are discussed and results of work in Australia and New Zealand to obtain fringes and the image of the source (PKS1921-231) are presented. The road map for New Zealand radio-astronomy as well as New Zealand involvement in the SKA is discussed.

In 2005 we obtained very precise interferometric measurements of the pole-on rapid rotator Vega (A0 V) with the longest baselines of the Center for High Angular Angular Resolution (CHARA) Array and the Fiber Linked Unit for Optical Recombination (FLUOR). For the analysis of these data, we developed a code for mapping sophisticated PHOENIX model atmospheres on to the surface of rotationally distorted stars described by a Roche-von Zeipel formalism. Given a set of input parameters for a star or binary pair, this code predicts the interferometric visibility, spectral energy distribution and high-resolution line spectrum expected for the system. For the gravity-darkened Vega, our model provides a very good match to the K-band interferometric data, a good match to the spectral energy distribution – except below 160 nm – and a rather poor match to weak lines in the high dispersion spectrum where the model appears overly gravity darkened. In 2006, we used the CHARA Array and FLUOR to obtain high precision measurements of the massive, non-eclipsing, double-line spectroscopic binary Spica, a 4-day period system where both components are gravity darkened rapid rotators. These data supplement recent data obtained with the Sydney University Stellar Interferometer (SUSI). Our study follows the classic 1971 study by Herbison-Evans et al. who resolved Spica as a binary with the Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer (NSII). We will report on our progress modeling the new interferometric and archival spectroscopic data, with the goal towards better constraining the apsidal constant.

Data centres have a major role in the Virtual Observatory (VO), as they are the primary source of astronomical data. The VO cannot (and does not) dictate how a data centre handles its own archive. However, ‘VO-layer’ is needed to ‘translate’ any locally defined parameter to the standard (i.e., International Virtual Observatory Alliance compliant) ones. The longer term vision of the VO is also to hide away any observatory/telescope/instrument specific detail and work in astronomical units, for example, ‘wavelength range’ and not grism or filter name. Data providers are then advised to systematically collect metadata (‘data about data’) about the curation process, assign unique identifiers, describe the general content (e.g., physical coverage) of a collection, and provide interface and capability parameters of public services. Finally, the VO will work at its best with high-level (‘science-ready’) data, so that the VO user is spared as much as possible any complex and time consuming data reduction. Data centres should then make an effort to provide such data.

I try to list the currently ongoing instrumental activities for solar and stellar activity research. Only projects that lead to operational ground-based facilities no later than 2013 and to operational space-based observatories no later than 2016 are considered. Any facility already in operation or any instrument under construction but with a very wide range of usage is excluded from this listing (like e.g. ALMA, Herschel or SOFIA). No details on science programs are given. The text is organized according to space, radio, and optical/IR projects.

Convection and turbulence in stellar atmospheres have a significant effect on the emergent flux from late-type stars. The theoretical advancements in convection modelling over recent years have proved challenging for the observers to obtain measurements with sufficient precision and accuracy to allow discrimination between the various predictions. An overview of the current observational techniques used to evaluate various convection theories is presented, including photometry, spectrophotometry, and spectroscopy. The results from these techniques are discussed, along with their successes and limitations. The prospects for improved observations of stellar fluxes are also given.

Intergalactic HII regions, far from the confines of a galactic disk, represent a mode of star formation in low-density gas outside of galaxies. The figure below (left) shows an R-band continuum image of NGC 1533 from the SINGG Hα survey (Meurer et al. 2006) overlaid with HI contours and the location of three intergalactic HII regions discovered by Ryan-Weber et al. (2004). The HI contours are 1.6, 2.0, 2.4, 2.8, 3.2 and 4.0 ×1020 cm−2 and have a resolution of ~1′. ACS/HRC images of the intergalactic HII regions (right) are composites of UV, V, and I bands. The half-light radii of the clusters associated with regions 1, 2, and 5 are 24.7, 21.7, and 17.0 pc, respectively, at the distance to NGC 1533 (21 Mpc; Tonry et al. 2001). Assuming a Salpeter IMF with Mup = 100, Hα/UV ratios indicate a small number of ionizing O stars relative to the total number of UV-emitting O and B stars. These young (4-6 Myr), intergalactic stellar populations lend valuable insight to our understanding of the methods by which star formation is triggered and may even represent the first episodes of star formation in emerging galaxies.