Related papers: The Solar Galactic Environment
The Halo Galactic Globular Clusters (GCs) lying inside the solar circle (\inn, \r $< 8 Kpc$, \feh$<-0.8$) are shown to keep no record of the strong correlation between GC absolute integrated magnitudes and core parameters (concentration and…
Clouds also form in atmospheres of planets that orbit other stars than our Sun, in so-called extrasolar planets or exoplanets. Exoplanet atmospheres can be chemically extremely rich. Exoplanet clouds are therefor made of a mix of materials…
The effects of multi-layered clouds in the atmospheres of Earth-like planets orbiting different types of stars are studied. The radiative effects of cloud particles are directly correlated with their wavelength-dependent optical properties.…
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…
Many studies of the Loop I magnetic superbubble place the Sun at the edges of the bubble. One recent study models the polarized radio continuum of Loop I as two magnetic shells with the Sun embedded in the rim of the 'S1' shell. If the Sun…
It appears that the dynamical status of clusters and groups of galaxies is related to the large-scale structure of the Universe. A few interesting trends have been established: (1) The Cluster Substructure - Alignment Connection, by which…
Oscillations detected on the solar surface provide a unique possibility for investigations of the interior properties of a star. Through major observational efforts, including extensive observations from space, as well as development of…
The thermal and chemical phases of the cool component of interstellar gas are discussed. Variations with galactocentric radius and from galaxy to galaxy are mostly the result of changes in the ambient interstellar pressure and radiation…
We offer a new, more inclusive, picture of the local interstellar medium, where it is composed of a single, monolithic cloud that surrounds the Sun in all directions. Our study of velocities based on Mg II and Fe II ultraviolet absorption…
It is a remarkable feature that various properties of galaxies vary according to their environments. However, only little has been known on the origin of this variety in galaxies. Using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data, we…
The interplay between the ISM and the massive stars formed in clusters and, more generally, in recent events of star formation is reviewed via the global effects each has on the other. The pre-existing environment affects the properties of…
Tiny interstellar dust grains causing the polarization of light from the nearest stars are deflected sideways in the outer heliosheath regions, along with the interstellar magnetic field. Observations of optical polarization of stars beyond…
We here explore the effects of the SN explosions into the environment of star-forming galaxies like the Milky Way. Successive randomly distributed and clustered SNe explosions cause the formation of hot superbubbles that drive either…
The Sun is forced into an orbit around the barycenter of the solar system because of the changing mass distribution of the planets. Solar-planetary-lunar dynamic relationships may form a new basis for understanding and predicting cyclic…
Gamma-ray emission produced by interactions between cosmic rays (CRs) and interstellar gas traces the product of their densities throughout the Milky Way. The outer Galaxy is a privileged target of investigation to separate interstellar…
The Sun provides a critical benchmark for the general study of stellar structure and evolution. Also, knowledge about the internal properties of the Sun is important for the understanding of solar atmospheric phenomena, including the solar…
[Abridged] The Lupus I cloud is found between the Upper-Scorpius and the Upper-Centaurus-Lupus sub-groups, where the expanding USco HI shell appears to interact with a bubble currently driven by the winds of the remaining B-stars of UCL. We…
Gravitational lensing of invisible streaming matter towards the Sun could be the explanation of the puzzling solar flares and the unexplained solar emission in the EUV. Assuming that this invisible matter has some form of interaction with…
We present some early results from our deep imaging survey of galaxy clusters intended to detect and study intracluster light (ICL). From our observations to date, we find that ICL is common in galaxy clusters, and that substructure in the…
A key goal of heliophysics is to understand how cosmic rays propagate in the solar system's complex, dynamic environment. One observable is solar modulation, i.e., how the flux and spectrum of cosmic rays changes as they propagate inward.…