Related papers: Comments on the "Monoceros" affair
We present a set of highly flattened galaxy models with asymptotically constant rotation curves. The mass density in the equatorial plane falls like (distance)$^{-1}$ at large radii. Although the inner equidensity contours may be spherical,…
The existence of a spatially thin, kinematically coherent Disk of Satellites (DoS) around the Milky Way (MW), is a problem that often garners vivacious debate in the literature or at scientific meetings. One of the most recent incarnations…
It is widely believed that star clusters form with low star formation efficiencies. With the onset of stellar winds by massive stars or finally when the first super nova blows off, the residual gas is driven out of the embedded star…
The present day chemical and dynamical properties of the Milky Way bear the imprint of the Galaxy's formation and evolutionary history. One of the most enduring and critical debates surrounding Galactic evolution is that regarding the…
Cosmology, high-energy physics and astrophysics are converging on the study of large-scale magnetic fields. While the experimental evidence for the existence of large-scale magnetization in galaxies, clusters and superclusters is rather…
Different stellar sub-populations of the Milky Way's stellar disk are known to have different vertical scale heights, their thickness increasing with age. Using SEGUE spectroscopic survey data, we have recently shown that mono-abundance…
Recently we proposed that the acceleration of the Universe could be due to gravity leaking to extra dimensions. This scenario gives an alternative to the cosmological constant or quintessence. In [astro-ph/0106274] the authors claimed that…
A simple model for the dust media describing evolution of the system like spiral galaxy is considered. In contrast to previous considerations we show that the initial density fold should be quasi-one-dimensional (bar-like) instead of…
A parameterized model of the mass distribution within the Milky Way is fitted to the available observational constraints. The most important single parameter is the ratio of the scale length R_d* of the stellar disk to R0. The disk and…
Young open clusters are our laboratories for studying high-mass star formation and evolution. Unfortunately, the information that they provide is difficult to interpret, and sometimes contradictory. In this contribution, I present a few…
A galaxy is modeled as a stationary axially symmetric pressure-free fluid in general relativity. For the weak gravitational fields under consideration, the field equations and the equations of motion ultimately lead to one linear and one…
If thick disks are ubiquitous and a natural product of disk galaxy formation and/or evolution processes, all undisturbed galaxies which have evolved during a significant fraction of a Hubble time should have a thick disk. The late-type…
It is often assumed that a warped galaxy can be modeled by a set of rings. This paper verifies numerically the validity of this assumption by the study of periodic orbits populating a heavy self-gravitating warped disk. The phase space…
It is argued that some of the recent claims for cosmology are grossly overblown. Cosmology rests on a very small database: it suffers from many fundamental difficulties as a science (if it is a science at all) whilst observations of distant…
Studies of the halo gas in the Milky Way and in nearby spiral galaxies show the presence of gas complexes that cannot be reconciled with an internal (galactic fountain) origin and are direct evidence of gas accretion. Estimating gas…
Our knowledge on the central components of disk galaxies has grown substantially in the past few decades, particularly so in the last. This frantic activity and the complexity of the subject promote confusion in the community. In these…
The Milky Way and the Local Sheet form a peculiar galaxy system in terms of the unusually low velocity dispersion in our neighbourhood and the seemingly high mass of the Milky Way for such an environment. Using the TNG300 simulation we…
Magnetic fields are amplified as a consequence of galaxy formation and turbulence-driven dynamos. Galaxy mergers can potentially amplify the magnetic fields from their progenitors, making the magnetic fields dynamically important. However,…
Thick disks appear to be common in external large spiral galaxies and our own Milky Way also hosts one. The existence of a thick disk is possibly directly linked to the formation history of the host galaxy and if its properties is known it…
The heated debate on the importance of stellar rotation and age spreads in massive star clusters has just become hotter by throwing stellar variability into the mix.