Progrès récents dans l'étude des ondes T.B.F. et E.B.F.

Conclusion Il est intéressant de dégager le bilan actuel des deux dernières années en matière de phénomènes T.B.F. et E.B.F., et d'établir sur ces bases quelques possibilités d'expériences nouvelles.Nous avons décrit les nouveaux modes de propagation dans le domaine T.B.F. (sifflements protoniques, propagation transverse, ondes de plasma ioniques) et montré l'importance des phénomènes de résonance. Ces résultats ont été obtenus grâce à l'emploi des satellites, et en particulier du satellite Alouette-1.Mais les expériences au sol ont été tout aussi profitables (études des sifflements de haute latitude et des ondes hydromagnétiques). Dans ce domaine, l'utilisation d'émetteurs artificiels s'est aussi avérée un moyen d'étude important.Du point de vue théorique, les mécanismes d'interaction entre ondes et particules ont retenu l'attention de nombreux chercheurs, ainsi que l'absorption Landau par les particules thermiques. Ces études, qui touchent à la physique fondamentale des milieux ionisés, n'en sont encore qu'à leurs débuts, mais les conclusions qu'elles doivent permettre d'atteindre sont d'une grande importance du point de vue de la dynamique de la magnétosphère.En ce qui concerne les expériences nouvelles qu'il est possible de suggérer sur la base de ces études, elles peuvent se décomposer en mesures de basses altitudes et mesures de hautes altitudes.Dans les premières, il serait par exemple intéressant de mesurer la. polarisation des ondes, dans la gamme de fréquence 0.1–1 kHz. On peut espérer obtenir ainsi une meilleure mesure de la fréquence de croisement, l'extension vers les basses fréquences permettant de détecter éventuellement les helium-whistlers. Il est important de mesurer également les composantes électriques du champ, mais de nombreux satellites sont déjà prévus pour cette mesure. Enfin, il ne faut pas oublier qu'aux altitudes inférieures à 1000 km, les fréquences de l'ordre du MHz appartiennent encore au domaine T.B.F. ( < _B); la mesure des bruits radioélectriques dans cette gamme de fréquence serait d'un grand intérêt du point de vue de la compréhension des mécanismes d'interaction.Aux altitudes élevées (4R _E), où les particules de basse énergie ne sont pas absorbées par l'atmosphère, des mesures simultanées, T.B.F. et particules, seraient utiles à la compréhension des mêmes mécanismes. Enfin, à ces altitudes où le champ magnétique terrestre est faible, il n'est pas exclu d'envisager une mesure des ondes E.B.F., surtout si l'on dispose d'un satellite orienté magnétiquement et presque stationnaire. Placé à 5 ou 6 rayons terrestres, disposant de sondes magnétiques 0.1–5 Hz orientées perpendiculairement au champ directeur, de sondes d'ionisation et de compteurs de particules de faible énergie (5–2000 keV pour des protons; 0.1–100 keV pour des électrons) il pourrait étudier la faille d'ionisation ainsi que les mécanismes d'interaction qui prennent certainement naissance au voisinage de cette discontinuité.     

An analysis of Martian photometry and polarimetry

The physical parameters that influence the photometric and polarimetric properties of a solid are enumerated and used to guide a comparison of laboratory measurements with observations of Mars. Both the bright and dark areas of Mars are found to be covered by a fine powder. Furthermore, they appear to have a very similar chemical composition. It is argued that goethite is a major constituent of both regions. The particles on the bright areas are characterized by an average particle radius of 25 , while those on the dark areas have a mean size of 100 outside of the period of seasonal darkening and about 200 near the peak of the darkening. The seasonal darkening of the dark areas is the result of a change in the average particle dimension without an accompanying chemical change.The Martian atmosphere has much less of an influence on the photometric and polarimetric observations than was previously supposed. The observed lack of contrast in the blue appears to be largely the result of an intrinsic loss of surface contrast, and not an effect of a hypothetical atmospheric blue haze.

---

Résumé Les paramètres physiques qui influencent les propriétés photométriques et polarimétriques d'un solide sont énumérés et utilisés pour conduire une comparaison entre des mesures de laboratoire et des observations de Mars. On trouve que les régions brillantes et les régions sombres de Mars sont couvertes d'une fine poudre. En outre, elles paraissent avoir des compositions chimiques très semblables. Il est soutenu que la goethite est un constituant majeur des deux régions. Les particules des régions brillantes sont caractérisées par un rayon moyen de 25 , tandis que celles des régions sombres ont une taille moyenne de 100 en dehors de la période d'assombrissement saisonnier, et d'environ 200 près du maximum d'assombrissement. L'assombrissement saisonnier des régions sombres est le résultat d'une variation de la dimension moyenne des particules, non accompagné d'un changement chimique.L'influence de l'atmosphère Martienne sur les observations photométriques et polarimétriques est bien inférieure à ce qui était supposé antérieurement. Le manque de contraste que l'on observe dans le bleu, parait être principalement une conséquencede la perte de contraste de surface, et non pas un effet d'un hypothétique halo atmosphérique bleu.

---

---

This work was supported in part by grants NGR-09-015-023 and NGR-33-010-082 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. A preliminary account was published as Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Special Report 258 (1967). This paper is dedicated to the memory of V. V. Sharonov.     

A dissection of 30 Doradus and a discussion of other Magellanic Cloud OB associations

I Present the results of ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope photometry and spectroscopy of the stars in the central region (roughly 7×7 arcmin) of 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Using photometric data for over 2400 stars (complete toV18 mag), and spectroscopic observations of over 150 stars in the region, the best estimate of the initial mass function (IMF) yields a slope of =–1.5±0.2 for masses > 12M, where the Salpeter slope is =–1.35. I compare these results to other measurements of the IMF for OB associations in the Magellanic Clouds.     

Concerning the interpretation of the ultraviolet radiation from B stars

Measurements of the shape of the ultraviolet spectrum from B stars are compared with the theoretical spectra predicted from a homogeneous series of eight model atmospheres which are known to be close to a state of radiative equilibrium and to give a good representation of the ordinarily observed spectral region. The broad-band photometer measurements of Byram, Chubb, and Friedman in the region 1314 indicate that the stars become brighter in the ultraviolet as their temperature increases. The theoretical spectra reproduce this trend. However, the theoretical spectra are about three times as bright at 1314 relative to their brightness at 5560 as is observed.The spectral observations at 50Å resolution of Stecher and Milligan of six absorption-line stars are compared in detail with theoretical spectra. The observed shape of the spectrum is reproduced well by the models from 2600 to longer wavelengths. At wavelengths shorter than 2600 Å, the observed fluxes from B stars are less than the predicted fluxes. At 2000 the deficiency is between a factor two and a factor four. The spectrum of Canis Majoris is observed to have a different shape from that found for four other early-type stars. In the case of Canis Majoris the deficiency at 2000 is about a factor 13.The proper manner in which to compare theory and observation is discussed and some astrophysical terminology is explained. Theoretical fluxes, , are given in Table 1 for eight early B type model atmospheres at wavelengths between the Lyman limit and 6251. These fluxes have been computed without consideration of the opacity due to line blanketing. It is shown that line blanketing can probably account for the differences noted between predicted and observed ultra-violet spectra of B stars. It is not necessary at present to invoke unusual sources of opacity in the stellar atmosphere or in the space between the star and the earth in order to explain the observations. Spectra of B stars in the 2000 region at sufficient resolution to show the line spectrum would clarify the problem.     

The population of massive stars in R136 from HST/FOC UV observations

New ultraviolet (1300 A, 3400 A),HST FOC observations have been used to derive the UV color-magnitude diagram (CMD) of R136, with the main scientific goal of studying the upper end of the stellar mass function at ultraviolet wavelengths where the color degeneracy encountered in visual CMDs is less severe. The CMD has been compared to a set of theoretical isochrones, which have been computed using the latest generation of evolutionary models and model atmospheres for early type stars. Wolf-Rayet stars are included. Comparison of theTheoretical andobserved CMD suggests that there are no stars brighter than M₁₃₀–11. We use the observed main sequence turn-off and the known spectroscopic properties of the stellar population to derive constraints on the most probable age of R136. The presence of WNL stars and the lack of red supergiants suggests a most likely age of 3±1 Myr. A theoretical isochrone of 3±1 Myr is consistent with the observed stellar content of R136 if the most massive stars have initial masses around 50 M.Bases on Observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the STScI, which is operated by AURA, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.Astrophysics Division, Space Science Department, ESA     

Das thermische plasma als intensitäts normalstrahler im wellenlängenbereich von 1100 bis 3100 å

In this paper a standard intensity source is described consisting of a thermal argon plasma with small additives of hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. These gases are introduced in such a concentration to produce a series of optically thick spectral lines in the region 1100 Å to 3100 Å. The intensity in an optically thick line center is given by the Kirchhoff-Planck-function B (T) which is determined if the plasma temperature is known. The continuous character of the function allows for interpolation between the spectral lines.At longer wave lengths above 1800 Å only two carbon I-lines are found to be optically thick. Here the optically thin argon continuum is calibrated against the carbon I-lines and is used as an additional standard emission.By this procedure an absolute intensity scale is constructed at every wave length between 1100 Å and 3100 Å.The precision of the absolute intensities depends essentially on the precision of the temperature measurement for the plasma. Four different spectroscopic methods are used for this determination giving a temperature of 12540 K with an error of ±1 % to ±2 %. This means an error of ±10 % to ±20 % for the absolute intensity scale. The internal consistency of the measurements is better than ±2 %A plasma with these properties is produced in a wall-stabilized cascade arc burning through a central hole in a stack of refrigerated discs. By an adequate flow pattern of argon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide an argon window is formed through which the radiation of the added gases leaves the arc axially without self-absorption.The arc is burning at a pressure of 1 atm, and a windowless light path to a vacuum spectrograph is formed by a 3 chamber differential pumping stage allowing continous observation.As a result the absolute intensities of the optically thick lines observed at high resolution are given. Moreover, the total spectral energy flux of the light source is presented for a lower resolution.In the range 2500 Å to 3100 Å the absolute scale overlaps the useful range of the carbon arc which is used as an intensity standard in the visible and near ultraviolet. A comparison of the two sources yields a compatibility within the experimental errors of a few percent.     

The dynamics of chromospheric spicules

We present the observational results on chromospheric spicules obtained at the Sayan observatory 50 cm coronograph. To investigate the evolution of chromospheric spicules, we analysed spicule spectra of strong chromospheric lines measured simultaneously at three altitudes above the solar limb during 5–60 min with a time resolution of 10 to 20 s. The spatial resolution was better than 1, and the spectral resolution was 0.03Å in 6563Å. The appearance of a spicule at a given altitude is preceded by an sharp increase in line-of-sight velocity and/or in line half-width at a lower level. Generally, the evolution has a non-monotonous impulsive character. Changes of line-of-sight velocities and other parameters of the line profile can be represented as the superposition of slow, evolutionary changes and fluctuations with periods of about 80 to 120 s. The amplitude of line-of-sight velocity fluctuations is 2–3 km/sec and tends to increase with height. By studying the phase delays of the fluctuations at different heights, we found that the propagation velocity exceeds 300 km s^–1, and that the disturbances do not necessarily propagate upwards.     

Galactic Evolution of D and 3He

The most recent chemical evolution models for D and 3He are reviewed and their results compared with the available data.Models in agreement with the major galactic observational constraints predict deuterium depletion from the Big Bang to the present epoch smaller than a factor of 3 and therefore do not allow for D/H primordial abundances larger than 5 × 10-5. Models predicting higher D consumption do not seem to be able to reproduce other observed features of our galaxy (e.g. SFR, abundances, abundance ratios and/or gradients of heavier elements, metallicity distribution of G-dwarfs).Observational and theoretical 3He abundances can be reconciled with each other if the majority of low mass stars experience in the red giant phase a deep mixing allowing the consumption of most of the 3He produced during core-hydrogen burning.     

Are there different types of variability among B stars?

Conclusion It now appears difficult to write that the Cephei stars occupy a well defined instability strip in the HR diagram (Lesh and Aizenman, 1978): the Cep phenomenon — from any observational definition we could give — cannot be restricted to the small group of variables inside the box limited by the B 0.5 - B 2 spectral types and by the (II–III) – IV luminosity classes.So the pulsation mechanism is probably not strictly related to a narrow evolutionary stage. From this point of view, a mechanism related to envelope properties could better allow for variability in a wider region of the HR diagram. Which should be the new boundaries for such a phenomenon ? Should we expect an amplification of the phenomenon towards the center of its HR domain?     

Cosmogony as an extrapolation of magnetospheric research

A theory of the origin and evolution of the Solar System (Alfvén and Arrhenius, 1975, 1976) which considered electromagnetic forces and plasma effects is revised in the light of new information supplied by space research. In situ measurements in the magnetospheres and solar wind have changed our views of basic properties of cosmic plasmas. These results can be extrapolated both outwards in space, to interstellar clouds, and backwards in time, to the formation of the solar system. The first extrapolation leads to a revision of some cloud properties which are essential for the early phases in the formation of stars and solar nebulae. The latter extrapolation makes possible to approach the cosmogonic processes by extrapolation of (rather) well-known magnetospheric phenomena.Pioneer-Voyager observations of the Saturnian rings indicate that essential parts of their structure are fossils from cosmogonic times. By using detailed information from these space missions, it seems possible to reconstruct certain events 4–5 billion years ago with an accuracy of a few percent. This will cause a change in our views of the evolution of the solar system.     

Fast time-resolution spectroscopy of BW Vulpeculae

An experimental Fairchild CCD-211 was placed in the 2. 1-m coudé spectrograph at the Kitt Peak National Observatory and used to record an 87 Å spectral band centered on Ha. On the night of 1979 July 11 UT date, this system was used to observe continuously the extreme Cephei variable BW Vulpeculae throughout one of its 4^h 49^m cycles with an average exposure of 13 minutes per observation. A total of 18 observations was secured. The results show dramatic profile variations of H, including features not previously reported, and extreme variations of the C II 6578, 6582 lines, including variations of equivalent width. The fast time-resolution capability and the photometric linearity of the CCD have permitted the detection of subtle effects that have been missed by photographic observations and has led directly to important new interpretations of the complex atmospheric pulsations in this star, including effects of altered opacity on the formation of spectral lines and the suggestion of a helium-ionization heat engine as a mechanism for driving atmospheric pulsations.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

The Primordial Helium-4 Abundance from Observations of a Large Sample of Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies

We use a sample of 45 low-metallicity H II regions in blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxies to determine the primordial helium abundance YP with a precision better than 5%. We have carefully investigated the physical effects which may make the He I line intensities deviate from their recombination values such as collisional and fluorescent enhancements, underlying He I stellar absorption and absorption by Galactic interstellar Na I. By extrapolating the Y vs. O/H and Y vs. N/H linear regressions to O/H = N/H = 0, we obtain YP = 0.244±0.002 and 0.245±0.001, respectively, higher than previous determinations (YP = 0.230 - 0.234). Part of the difference comes from the fact that previous investigators have not taken into account underlying He I stellar absorption, especially in the NW component of the BCD I Zw 18 which, because of its extremely low metallicity plays a key role in the determination of YP. We derive a slope dY/dZ = 2.3±1.0, considerably smaller than those derived before. With this smaller slope and taking into account the errors, chemical evolution models with an outflow of well-mixed material can be built for star-forming dwarf galaxies which satisfy all the observational constraints. Our YP gives _bh ₅₀ ² = 0.058±0.007,f consistent with the lower limit set by dynamical measurements and X-ray observations of clusters of galaxies. It is also consistent, within the framework of standard big bang nucleosynthesis theory, with measurements of primordial 7Li in galactic halo stars and with the D/H abundance measured in absorption systems toward quasars by Burles and Tytler (1997).     

A New Mechanism of Coronal Heating

The interaction between network magnetic fields and emerging intranetwork fields may lead to magnetic reconnection and microflares, which generate fast shocks with an Alfvén Mach number M _A<2. Protons and less abundant ions in the solar corona are then heated and accelerated by fast shocks. Our study of shock heating shows that (a) the nearly nondeflection of ion motion across the shock ramp leads to a large perpendicular thermal velocity (v _th), which is an increasing function of the mass/charge ratio; (b) the heating by subcritical shocks with 1.1 M_A 1.5 leads to a large temperature anisotropy with T/T 50 for O⁵⁺ ions and a mild anisotropy with T_/T 1.2 for protons; (c) the large perpendicular thermal velocity of He⁺⁺ and O⁵⁺ ions can be converted to the radial outflow velocity (u) in the divergent coronal field lines; and (d) the heating and acceleration by shocks with 1.1 M_A 1.5 can lead to u(O⁵⁺) v _th(O⁵⁺) 460 km s^–1 for O⁵⁺ ions, u(He⁺⁺) v _th(He⁺⁺) 360 km s^–1 for He⁺⁺ ions, and u(H⁺) v _th(H⁺) 240 km s^–1 for protons at r=3–4 R . Our results can explain recent SOHO observations of the heating and acceleration of protons and heavier ions in the solar corona.     

Optimal control in the east/west station-keeping manoeuvres for geostationary satellites

This paper addresses the optimal computation in terms of fuel consumption of the sequentially required tangential correction manoeuvres to control geostationary satellites within the longitude band. In fact, by using optimal control techniques, the Sun pointing perigee strategy (which only determines the best time of the day for the tangential manoeuvres) is formulated as a nonlinear programming problem with inequality constraints so that the proposed approach provides an optimal way to determine the remaining parameters for the station keeping, i.e., the time interval between successive corrections and the value for the eccentricity control to totally optimize the computation. Furthermore, by minimizing a cost function derived for the total manoeuvres sizes required in a year, a numerical simulation is performed to illustrate this approach. The computation shows how geostationary mission lifetimes may be extended up to half a year or more.

Resumen

En este papel se trata el cálculo óptimo en términos de consumo de fuel de las maniobras tangenciales periódicas necesarias para controlar satélites geoestacionarios dentro de la banda en longitud. En concreto, utilizando técnicas de control optimal, la estrategia perigeo hacia el Sol (que solo determina la mejor hora del día para las maniobras tangenciales) se formula como un problema de programación no lineal con constreñimientos, de tal forma que el tratamiento propuesto proporciona una forma óptima de determinar los parámetros restantes para el mantenimiento en estación, esto es, el intervalo de tiempo entre dos correciones sucesivas y el valor para el control de excentricidad para optimizar totalmente el cálculo. Además, mediante la minimización de una función de coste obtenida para todas las maniobras necesarias en un año, se realiza una simulación numérica para ilustrar esta metodología. Los cálculos muestran cómo se puede extender el tiempo de vida de una misión geostacionaria hasta medio año o más.     

Cyg X-3 not seen at high-energy gamma rays

The ESA satellite COS-B viewed the Cyg-X region 7 times between November 1975 and March 1982. A search for periodic gamma-ray emission (E > 70 MeV) from Cyg X-3 at the characteristic 4.8 h period did not reveal the source. Combining all observations, the 2 upperlimit (E > 70 MeV) on the flux for the phase interval in which X-ray emission has been detected is 1.0 × 10^-6 ph cm^-2 s^-1 and for the phase intervals in which ultra-high-energy (E 500 GeV) gamma-ray emission has been reported 1.0 × 10^-7 ph cm^-2 s^-1. This is about one and two orders of magnitude, repectively, below the flux reported earlier by the SAS-2 team. A comparison of the spatial gamma-ray distribution in the Cyg-X region measured by SAS-2 and COS-B with the total-interstellar-gas distribution leads to the conclusion that in both cases, COS-B and SAS-2, no source has been detected at the position of Cyg X-3 in addition to the diffuse gamma-ray emission expected from the total-gas distribution.The Caravane Collaboration for the COS-B satellite: Laboratory for Space Research Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands Istituto di Fisica Cosmica del CNR, Milano, Italy Istituto di Fisica Cosmica e Informatica del CNR, Palermo, Italy Max Planck Institut für Physik und Astrophysik, Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching-bei-München, Germany Service d'Astrophysique, Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires de Saclay, France Space Science Department of the European Space Agency, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.     

CCD spectroscopy of the W Serpentis binaries KX And and RX Cas

Initial results are presented from a study of H profiles in the two interacting binaries KX And and RX Cas of W Serpentis type. The used CCD spectra with a resolution of 0.13Å/px were obtained with the 2.2m telescope and the Coudé spectrograph at the German-Spanish Astronomical Center at Calar Alto/Spain.KX And. This star is probably a non-eclipsing member of the W Serpentis type interactive binaries and has a period of P = 38.908 days. Our seven spectra of KX And were obtained at phase 0.54 – 0.75. The P Cyg profiles of the H line during our observations indicate an expanding shell. The asymetry becomes blue-sided at phase 0.67 and increases thereafter. This points toward a strong outflow of matter in the vicinity of the L3 point.RX Cas. According to the model of Andersen et al. (1988) the primary is a mid-B type star with M = 5.8M and R = 2.5R . The star is completely obscured by a geometrically and optically thick disk, which is supplied by mass transfer from the other component. The secondary is a K1 giant with M = 1.8M and R = 23.5R and fills out his critical Roche lobe. Radiative and geometrical properties of the disk are variable and its structure is probably not homogenous.Five spectra of RX Cas were obtained during the primary eclipse (phase 0.95 – 0.19). The observed double-peak emission is seen only after the eclipse with a separation of 250 km/s peak-to-peak, while during the eclipse an asymetric line profile can be observed with a red-shifted emission always presented. Also, a central emission at = 0.94 should be noticed, probably originating in the vicinity of L1.The observations of both systems indicate that we are dealing with strongly interacting binaries. Further observations are planned for better covering of phase.Visiting Astronomer, German-Spanish Astronomical Center, Calar Alto, operated by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie Heidelberg jointly with the Spanish National Commision for Astronomy.     

The French-Soviet ‘ARAKS’ experiment

In 1975, a rocket borne electron gun experiment will be achieved in Kerguelen Islands (South Indian Ocean), as a result of a cooperation between Soviet and French scientists. The gun will inject into the magnetosphere large currents (0.5 and 1 A) of high energy electrons (15 and 27 keV) with different initial pitch angles ( 0°, 70, 140°). A nose cone will be ejected at great distance ( 10 km) in front of the rocket, equipped mainly with radio wave receivers, both electric and magnetic, in the frequency range from 0 to 5 MHz, in order to study the wave particle interactions which will be induced by the beam. Optical and radioelectric observations will be performed in the conjugate area, in the district of Arkhangelsk (U.S.S.R.). During one of the two flights (launched in the magnetic meridian) attention will be focused on the wave particle interactions which are expected to be stronger when the beam is injected along the magnetic field line. The second flight, which will be launched towards the east, is attempted to study the azimuthal drift of the injected electrons and to derive some conclusions concerning the DC electric field, integrated over the line of force which joins the two conjugate points (L = 3.7). During both flights the energy and pitch angle distribution of atmospherically backscattered electrons will be studied.We describe the experiment and give the results of some preliminary computations which have been made by the different experimenters in order to predict the amplitude of the expected phenomena. A discussion is made of the respective ability for electron beam injection and cold plasma injection to artificially induce strong particle precipitation.On leave from Groupe de Recherches Ionosphériques, CNET, 92131 Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.     

Galactic effects of the cosmic-ray gas

On an astronomical scale cosmic rays must be considered a tenuous and extremely hot (relativistic) gas. The pressure of the cosmic-ray gas is comparable to the other gas and field pressures in interstellar space, so that the cosmic-ray pressure must be taken into account in treating the dynamical properties of the gaseous disk of the galaxy. This review begins with a survey of present knowledge of the cosmic-ray gas. Then the kinetic properties of the gas are developed, followed by an exposition of the dynamical effects of the cosmic-ray gas on a large-scale magnetic field embedded in a thermal gas. The propagation of low-frequency hydromagnetic waves is worked out in the fluid approximation.The dynamical properties of the gaseous disk of the galaxy are next considered. The equations for the equilibrium distribution in the direction perpendicular to the disk are worked out. It is shown that a self-consistent equilibrium can be constructed within the range of the observational estimates of the gas density, scale height, turbulent velocity, field strength, cosmic-ray pressure, and galactic gravitational acceleration. Perturbation calculations then show that the equilibrium is unstable, on scales of a few hundred pc and in times of the order 2 × 10⁷ years. The instability is driven about equally by the magnetic field and the cosmic-ray gas and dominates self-gravitation. Hence the instability dominates the dynamics of the interstellar gas and is the major effect in forming interstellar gas clouds. Star formation is the end result of condensation of the interstellar gas into clouds, indicating, then, that cosmic rays play a major role in initiating star formation in the galaxy.The cosmic rays are trapped in the unstable gaseous disk and escape from the disk only in so far as their pressure is able to inflate the magnetic field of the disk. The observed scale height of the galactic disk, the short life (10⁶ years) of cosmic-ray particles in the disk of the galaxy, and their observed quiescent state in the disk, indicate that the galactic magnetic field acts as a safety valve on the cosmic ray pressure P so that PB ²/8. We infer from the observed life and quiescence of the cosmic rays that the mean field strength in the disk of the galaxy is 3–5 × 10^–6 gauss.     

Characteristics and interpretation of the photometric variability of eta carinae and its nebula

A short review is given on the history of the peculiar variable object Car and on a number of relevant references describing and discussing its physical characteristics and behaviour, based on different types of observational techniques. The star is known to be variable since the 17th century. The excessive mass loss to which it was subject during the 19th century is now visible as an ellipsoidal reflection nebula of 15 diameter: the so-called homunculus. The remainder of the paper is spent on different kinds of problems partly based on the results of a decade of photometric monitoring in the VBLUW photometric system of Walraven. Foreground reddening and reddening by dust in the homunculus are determined and amount to E(B - V) _J = 0 50 and < 6, respectively. Scanning of the homunculus revealed an estimate for the photometric characteristics of the central object, which presumably consists of a massive hot star surrounded by a cooler gas envelope. The total luminosity is derived using fluxes of various sources in the wavelength region 0.15 < < 175 n resulting in M _bol = - 12 3 ± 0 2. The total observed flux corrected for foreground extinction corresponds to a star with R 96 R if T _eff 30 000 K. The mass may be near 150 M . The excess luminosity in 1843, when the star was presumably bolometrically at least 2 5 brighter than at present, may have been caused by envelope-energized pulsations when the star's luminosity was close to its Eddington limit. The temperature should then have been 50 000 K. The mass loss rate, during the excess luminosity phase lasting 30 yr, is estimated to amount to M 4 × 10^-3 M yr^-1. At present the mass loss may be M 10^-4M yr^-1. Since the homunculus is mainly built up from material expelled in the 30 yr interval (from 1830 to 1860), its total mass amounts to M _hom 0.15 M . The historical observations of the colours of Car and a comparison with the characteristics of S Dor type stars, suggest that Car was subject to a number of S Dor type phases similar to those of P Cyg (in the 17th century), S Dor and others. A satisfactory explanation is found for the complete historical light curve. The decrease in light after the 1843 maximum by 9 ^m , presumably consists of a fading of the luminosity excess and the S Dor effect by 2 5 and 3^m, respectively, and a 3 5 extinction by circumstellar dust. The small amplitude light variations which Car showed during the last decade, were studied with the aid of the variations of the Balmer jump. They are presumably caused by temperature variations of the central star.Percy and Welch (1983) (Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific 95, 491) have observed P Cyg on a number of nights in 1982 and found for the photometric variations a time scale of 30 to 50 days and an amplitude of 0 _. ^m 15.Based partly on observations collected at the ESO, La Silla, Chile.     

The light of the night sky: Astronomical,interplanetary and geophysical

Summary We bring together our general results in two figures. Figure 14 portrays the resolution of the light of the night sky into its three principal components based on a series of zenith observations extending over a year at the two stationse: Fritz Peak in Colorado, U.S.A., (latitude N 39°.9, longitude W 105°.5) and Haleakala in Hawaii, U.S.A. (latitude N 20°.7, longitude W 156°.3). The observations are from a current study by Roach and Smith (1964a) using photometers centered on wavelength 5300 Å. With respect to sidereal time the airglow continuum is a constant. The two Milky Way traverses are conspicuous features of the integrated starlight curves. The variation of the zodiacal light is the result of the variable ecliptic latitude of the zenith throughout the year. A refined analysis of the data, not shown in the plot, gives a further variation of the zodiacal light as a function of - _bd, the differential ecliptic longitude between the zenith and the sun. The zodiacal light is the brighter of the three components except when the Milky Way is in the zenith. The zodiacal light tends to be systematically brighter toward the horizon so that it is definitely the most prominent of the three for the sky as a whole.The interrelationships of the constituents of the light of the night sky are shown from a different point of view in Figure 15 where the ordinate is logarithm of the surface brightness and the abscissa is logarithm of the distance or extent. Moving downward in the plot the features of the night sky appear below the line corresponding to the end of twilight. The brightness of the nightglow, the zodiacal light and gegenschein, the integrated starlight and galactic light are comparable (on the logarithm scale) but one is impressed with the vastly different linear distances in connection with the several phenomena. The nightglow is a terrestrial phenomenon having a thickness of about one atmospheric scale height (log R 7). The zodiacal light is an interplanetary phenomenon with a characteristic dimension of one astronomical unit (log R 13). The integrated starlight from our galaxy has a characteristic maximum dimension of some 30 kpc (log R 23). Finally the extra galactic nebulae which collectively contribute much less than 1% of the light of the night sky are at distances as much as log R 28. They can be photographed individually in spite of the competition of the sky background and in spite of the hazard of extinction by intervening dust.In the preparation of this report the writer has been impressed with the confluence of several circumstances that make possible the observation of the universe in the visible part of the spectrum. Any one of several contingencies might have made such observations impossible.Let us consider the matter of contrast. The prime example here is the bright (but beautiful!) day sky which prohibits serious daytime study of the astronomical sky. There follows, during a diurnal terrestrial rotation the period of twilight which under the best of circumstances lasts a little less than 1 1/2 hours but which, during the local summer, in the vicinity of polar regions persists all night. The obliquity of the ecliptic is sufficient to make a stimulating annual sequence of seasons but small enough to keep the twilight period of reasonable duration over a good portion of the earth.A hazard narrowly averted is that due to the interplanetary dust cloud leading to the zodiacal light. The concentration of dust is very small indeed (Figure 10) so that an increase by a factor often would be trivial in terms of the constitution of the solar system. But such an increase would result in a night sky so bright (average zodiacal light 2000 S₁₀ (vis) instead of 200) that the Milky Way would be difficult to see and the airglow difficult to measure. The aesthetic gain in a rather spectacular zodiacal light pattern over the sky would hardly compensate for the loss from the absence of the details of our galactic universe. The effect of such an enhanced zodiacal light would correspond to that experienced in a planetarium when the operator adjusts the rheostats to bring on dawn and the celestial objects disappear.A permanent twilight that would have the same effect would be due to the hydroxyl nightglow if (a) it were concentrated in the visible part of the spectrum rather than in the near infra red or if (b) the human eyes were sensitive in the near infrared.The narrow escape from the cosmic ignorance that would have resulted from a situation in which the observer found himself in a less favorable environment is well illustrated by the zone of avoidance of extra galactic nebulae in the vicinity of the Milky Way plane. If our galaxy were not highly flattened so that its extent perpendicular to the plane is sufficiently small to permit an observational window outward we would not have been able to photograph the extra-galactic objects and we would have been content with a rather restricted concept of a universe consisting of a single galaxy. The same dire result would have occurred if the sun to which our planet is attached were more deeply embedded in the galactic dust near the galactic center. Thus we find compensation for our non-central location.There can be little doubt that human ingenuity would in time have overcome any or all of the above circumstances as the radio astronomers have done by changing the exploring frequency so as to avoid the difficulties. But this would have taken time, especially in the absence of the stimulation of the knowledge gained by visual and photographic observations. It is likely that the time lag would have been sufficient that the present review could not have been written by the present author. It may be conjectured whether other astronomers on other planets are as fortunate or whether, after all, this is the best of all possible worlds.Contribution number 73. The report was written while the author was a Senior Specialist at the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii — on leave of absence from the Central Radio Propagation Laboratory of the U.S. National Bureau of Standards, Boulder, Colo., U.S.A.

---