Related papers: Size matters
The X-ray emission from the Sun reveals a very dynamic hot atmosphere, the corona, which is characterized by a complex morphology and broad range of timescales of variability and spatial structuring. The solar magnetic fields play a…
The SKA will be transformational for many areas of science, but in particular for the study of neutron stars and their usage as tools for fundamental physics in the form of radio pulsars. Since the last science case for the SKA, numerous…
Solar neutrino physics is an exciting and difficult field of research for physicists, where astrophysics, elementary particle and nuclear physics meet. \ The Sun produces the energy that life has been using on Earth for many years, about…
Galaxy-scale strong lensing is a powerful tool in Astrophysics and Cosmology, enabling studies of massive galaxies' internal structure, their formation and evolution, stellar initial mass function, and cosmological parameters. In this…
Astrophotonics is a burgeoning field that lies at the interface of photonics and modern astronomical instrumentation. Here we provide a pedagogical review of basic photonic functions that enable modern instruments, and give an overview of…
Surface photometry of the quiet Sun has achieved an angular resolution of $0".1$ with the New Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory revealing that a disproportionate fraction of the oscillatory events appear above observed bright…
The lunar surface allows a unique way forward in cosmology, to go beyond current limits. The far side provides an unexcelled radio-quiet environment for probing the dark ages via 21 cm interferometry to seek elusive clues on the nature of…
The second data release of ESA's Gaia satellite (Gaia DR2) revolutionised astronomy by providing accurate distances, proper motions, apparent magnitudes, and in many cases temperatures and radial velocities for an unprecedented number of…
Upcoming large-scale spectroscopic surveys such as WEAVE and 4MOST will provide thousands of spectra of massive stars, which need to be analysed in an efficient and homogeneous way. Studies on massive stars are usually based on samples of a…
The Sun is replete with magnetic fields, with sunspots, pores and plage regions being their most prominent representatives on the solar surface. But even far away from these active regions, magnetic fields are ubiquitous. To a large extent,…
The past fifty years have been an epoch of impressive progress in the field of astronomical technology. Practically all the technical tools, which we use today, have been developed during that time span. While the first half of this period…
It is well-known that the global acoustic oscillations of the Sun's atmosphere can excite resonance modes within large-scale magnetic concentrations. These structures are conduits of energy between the different layers of the solar…
The observational evidence for the recent acceleration of the universe demonstrates that canonical theories of cosmology and particle physics are incomplete (or possibly incorrect) and that new physics is out there, waiting to be…
Our knowledge of the Galaxy is being revolutionised by a series of photometric, spectroscopic and astrometric surveys. Already an enormous body of data is available from completed surveys, and data of ever increasing quality and richness…
Understanding a planet's atmosphere is a necessary condition for understanding not only the planet itself, but also its formation, structure, evolution, and habitability, This puts a premium on obtaining spectra, and developing credible…
Coronal astronomy is by now a fairly mature discipline, with a quarter century having gone by since the detection of the first stellar X-ray coronal source (Capella), and having benefitted from a series of major orbiting observing…
Stellar model atmospheres form the basis for any element abundance determination and hence are crucial ingredients for studies of stellar, galactic and cosmic evolution. With recent observational progress with the advent of 8m-class…
The richness and very high accuracy of the observed frequencies of solar oscillations provide tight constraints on the structure of the solar interior and hence on the assumptions underlying the calculation of solar models. This permits the…
Small-angle coronagraphy is technically and scientifically appealing because it enables the use of smaller telescopes, allows covering wider wavelength ranges, and potentially increases the yield and completeness of circumstellar…
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) can advance scientific frontiers beyond its groundbreaking 10-year survey. Here we explore opportunities for extended operations with proposal-based observing strategies, new filters, or…