Related papers: Is the Sun Embedded in a Typical Interstellar Clou…
Several radio-wave scintillation phenomena exhibit properties which are difficult to accommodate within the standard propagation model based on distributed Kolmogorov turbulence in the ionised ISM; here we discuss one such phenomenon,…
The three dimensional structure of the brightest part of the Orion Nebula is assessed in the light of published and new data. We find that the widely accepted model of a concave blister of ionized material needs to be altered in the…
Quantitative data on the solar wind, solar magnetic fields, solar eruptions, solar neutrinos, and on the planetary material orbiting the Sun all indicate the presence of an iron-rich solar interior and a neutron star at the core of the Sun.…
The composition and physical properties of several local clouds, including the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC) in which the Sun is embedded, are derived from absorption features in the UV spectrum of the star epsilon CMa. We derive…
Stellar and nebular abundance indicators reveal that there exists significant abundance fluctuations in the interstellar medium (ISM) of gas-rich galaxies. It is shown that at the present observed solar level of O/H $\sim 6 \times 10^{-4}$,…
Protostars and young stars are strongly spatially "clustered" or "correlated" within their natal giant molecular clouds (GMCs). We demonstrate that such clustering leads to the conclusion that the incident bolometric radiative flux upon a…
The Sun is a magnetic plasma diffuser that selectively moves light elements like H and He and the lighter isotopes of each element to its surface. The Sun formed on the collapsed core of a supernova. It consists mostly of iron, oxygen,…
Observations show that magnetic fields in the interstellar medium (ISM) often do not respond to increases in gas density as would be naively expected for a frozen-in field. This may suggest that the magnetic field in the diffuse gas becomes…
New 21cm observations with the Green Bank Telescope show that a significant fraction of the HI in the inner Galaxy's halo 1 kpc from the midplane exists in the form of discrete clouds. Some look very much like a Spitzer ``standard'' diffuse…
Kilogauss-strength magnetic fields are often observed in intergranular lanes at the photosphere in the quiet Sun. Such fields are stronger than the equipartition field $B_e$, corresponding to a magnetic energy density that matches the…
The ambient interstellar environment of wind- and supernova-driven superbubbles strongly affects their evolution, but its properties are rarely well-determined. We have therefore obtained HI aperture synthesis imaging of the environment…
Cosmic rays are a fundamental source of ionization for molecular and diffuse clouds, influencing their chemical, thermal, and dynamical evolution. The amount of cosmic rays inside a cloud also determines the $\gamma$-ray flux produced by…
The properties of the interstellar medium (ISM) surrounding a planetary system can impact planetary climate through a number of mechanisms, including changing the size of the astrosphere (one of the major shields for cosmic rays) as well as…
This paper reviews past research and new studies underway of the local interstellar environment and its changing influence on the heliosphere. The size, shape, and physical properties of the heliosphere outside of the heliopause are…
Solar prominences are clouds of cool plasma levitating above the solar surface and insulated from the million-degree corona by magnetic fields. They form in regions of complex magnetic topology, characterized by non-potential fields, which…
Cometary ultracompact HII regions have been modelled as the interaction of the hypersonic wind from a moving star with the molecular cloud which surrounds the star. We here show that a similar morphology can ensue even if the star is…
The classic accepted view of the heliosphere is a quiescent, comet-like shape aligned in the direction of the Sun's travel through the interstellar medium (ISM) extending for 1000's of AUs (AU: astronomical unit). Here we show, based on…
We seek to obtain a picture of the interstellar magnetic field in the Galactic center region that is as clear and complete as possible. To that end, we review the observational knowledge that has built up over the past 25 years on…
The interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) near the heliosphere is a basic part of the solar neighborhood that can only be studied using polarized starlight. Results of an ongoing survey of polarized starlight are analyzed with the goal of…
In this letter we identify similarities amongst sunspots and terrestrial vortices. The dark appearance of the central part of any sunspot is currently justified by an anticipated cooling effect experienced by the ionized gas. However, it…