A survey of interstellar Na I D1 and D2 absorption features in the spectra of 104 early-type stars in the second and third Galactic quadrants reveals the large-scale kinematics of the interstellar gas within the Galactic anticenter hemisphere at distances from the Sun between ~70 and ~250 pc. Employing a technique that uses both the radial

We present ample evidence for the presence of continuing gaseous infall to the Galactic plane, and then show how interaction of this gas with the disc gas yields a warp of the observed amplitude and direction. The mechanism works for galaxies in general, predicting a small proportion of U-shaped warps, as observed.

This book covers normal galaxies, distant galaxies, studies based on far-infrared diagnostics, quasar absorption lines, and the properties of nearby galaxies. The timely volume provides an essential reference for astronomers working in the field of high-redshift galaxies. It includes the lectures delivered at the XI Canary Islands Winter School of

We present a compilation of high time-resolution photometric observations of quiescent soft X-ray transients obtained with the Acquisition Camera on Gemini-South. A0620-00 (V616 Mon) was observed with a short cycle time and high precision. Superimposed on the ellipsoidal modulation we find several prominent flares together with weaker continual

We present a new evolutionary stellar population synthesis model, which predicts spectral energy distributions for single-age single-metallicity stellar populations (SSPs) at resolution 1.5 Å (FWHM) in the spectral region of the near-infrared CaII triplet feature. The main ingredient of the model is a new extensive empirical stellar spectral

We present a near-infrared K n-band photometric study of edge-on galaxies with a box/ peanut-shaped `bulge'. The morphology of the galaxies is analysed using unsharp masking and fits to the vertical surface brightness profiles, and the results are compared to N-body simulations and orbital calculations of barred galaxies. Both theoretical