Astronomical Soc./Pacific
Approaching micro-arcsecond resolution with VSOP-2; astrophysics and technology; proceedings.
This volume presents some 100 papers from the eponymous December 2007 workshop at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Japan. The workshop was held in order to highlight the science of the VSOP-2 (Very Long Baseline Interferometry Space Observatory Program), a planned radio telescope satellite under development by Japan that will be used in combination with ground radio telescopes in order to create very long baseline interferometry that is expected to achieve ten times higher resolution and ten times higher sensitivity than its predecessor, VSOP-1. About two-thirds of the material is dedicated to invited talks covering black holes, blazars, active galactic nuclei and galactic masers, variability and high brightness objects, and radio stars. The rest discusses scientific results of the VSOP-1 and technical aspects of the VSOP-2. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The biggest, baddest, coolest stars; proceedings.
The stars in question are in a short-lived mature stage of stellar evolution, but are the brightest infrared point sources in the sky; they pulse, they form dust, and they produce expanding circumstellar shells. The 18 presented papers, eight posters, and a summary of the concluding session explore their physics in relation to their stage of evolution, atmospheric structure and dynamics, stellar winds, and associated dust formation. Among the topics are the physical properties of red supergiants, the dying carbon star U Antliae, interferometric observations of supergiants, the circumstellar-interstellar boundary around evolved stars, chromospheres and the winds of cool supergiants, polarization from the structured envelopes of cool evolved stars, and a cool star mass loss rate study. There is no subject index. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Cosmology across cultures; proceedings.
The editors (of Spain's Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias and Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia) present the proceedings of the eponymous September 2008 international workshop bringing together specialists of cultural astronomy studies and modern cosmology in order to share ideas about the comprehension of the nature of the Universe across time, space, and cultures. As might be expected, the topics addressed are diverse, with the 71 contributions examining such subjects as the properties of nearby galaxy structures, the conceptual and cultural history of gravitational lensing, sociology of modern technology, African cosmology, medieval books on locating the Qiblah (the Islamic direction of prayer) astronomically, the astronomy of Maimonides and its Arabic sources, the iconography of the Milky Way, astronomical objects in Brazilian rock art, astronomical and cosmological aspects of Maya architecture and urbanism, first solar and stellar paintings in the Neolithic and Epipaleolithic rock art of Iberia, solar orientations of Bronze Age shrines in Crete, and human cognition in the light of astronomical categories. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The low-frequency radio universe; proceedings.
Based on papers presented in 2008 at a conference the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics Research (TIFR) in Pune, India, this book provides an overview of research at low radio frequencies, including recent results and astrophysical problems as well as technical issues at low radio frequencies. Containing over seventy of the conference papers, the book covers topics including low-frequency surveys and cosmology, extragalactic neutral hydrogen and OH, extragalactic radio sources, clusters of galaxies, the Milky Way galaxy, pulsars, transients and high-energy sources, Sun and planetary studies, and instrumentation and techniques. The book should interest a wide spectrum of students and researchers in astrophysics. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The Starburst-AGN Connection; proceedings.
Among the most active extragalactic phenomena, starburst and AGN have been studied independently for many years. In this volume of conference proceedings, papers show the growing understanding of the physics and connectedness of these two phenomena, and of the importance of intense starburst and AGN activity in the early universe. Topics include the first in-depth presentation of Spitzer Space Telescope mid-IR spectroscopy and imaging/photometry; new detailed theoretical modeling of the relationship and interaction between starbursts and AGN; and major new studies of the local universe from SDSS and other ground-based radio, IR/optical, and space-based x-ray observatories. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Stellar astrophysics; a tribute to Kam-Ching Leung; proceedings.
Kam-Ching is recognized as an authority in contact binary systems, and known especially for his discovery of multiple early-type contact systems; he initiated the conferences series. He himself opens the proceedings with a brief review of recent astronomical developments in the Asian Pacific Rim. Some 70 papers then cover star formation; novae and supernovae; compact objects; binary stars; cataclysmic variables and variable stars; stars, brown dwarfs, and planetary companions; and star clusters and large-scale surveys. Among individual topics are what causes the abundance gradient and its evolution along the galaxy disk, the recovery of quiescent novae, a partially screened polar gap in pulsars, high-precision orbits of southern single-lined spectroscopic binaries, transits of extra-solar planets with eccentric orbits, and galactic open clusters and the LOCS Project. There is no index. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
