The 12 C/ 13 C isotope ratio is a tracer of stellar yields and the efficiency of mixing in the ISM. 12 CH + / 13 CH + is not affected by interstellar chemistry, and is the most secure way of measuring 12 C/ 13 C in the diffuse ISM. R = 12 C/ 13 C is 90 in the solar system. Previous measurements of 12 CH + λλ3957.7,4232.3 and 13 CH + λλ3958.2,4232.0 absorption toward nearby stars indicate some v...

We have analyzed ASCA data of 27 early-type galaxies, and studied the properties of their X-ray emitting ISM (Inter Stellar Medium) in detail. We found that overlapping lines and free-bound continuum cause strong coupling in the derived abundances of various elements. The abundance determination is also difficult due to the uncertainties in the Fe-L atomic physics, because Fe-L lines couple wit...

We present an analysis of high resolution HST Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) observations of Kr I λ1236 absorption in seven sight lines that probe a variety of interstellar environments. In combination with krypton and hydrogen column densities derived from current and archival STIS and FarUltraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer data, the number of sight lines with reliable Kr/H ISM abu...

Transition region explosive events are considered to be a manifestation of small scale magnetic reconnection ubiquitously occurring | even in the quiet Sun. In this paper, we report a close association between transition region explosive events and chromo-spheric uppow events seen in H. From a comparison of the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) H spectrograph data and the Solar and Heliospheric...

An abundant and diversified assemblage of siliceous loose sponge spicules has been identified in the Late Eocene deposits cropping out along the southern coasts of Australia. Based on the comparison of the obtained spicules with those of living sponges, representatives of at least 43 species within 33 genera, 26 families, and 9 orders of "soft" Demospongiae and Homoscleromorpha have been identi...

Ultraviolet photolysis of various coronene-ice mixtures at low temperature and pressure caused the addition of amino (”NH2), methyl (”CH3), methoxy (”OCH3), cyano/isocyano (”CN, ”NC), and acid (”COOH) functional groups to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) coronene (C24H12), in addition to previously reported alcohol (”OH) and ketone (>C»O) formation. This work represents the first exper...

We present a study of molecular outflows using high-resolution mapping of the CO (1-0) line emission toward eight relatively nearby 6.7 GHz methanol masers, which are associated with massive star forming regions. Outflows were detected in seven out of eight sources, and five of them clearly show bipolar or multiple outflow morphologies. These outflows have typical masses of a few solar masses, ...

The absorptive properties of dust aerosols largely determine the magnitude of their radiative impacts on the climate system. Currently, climate models use globally constant values of dust imaginary refractive index (IRI), a parameter describing the dust absorption efficiency of solar radiation, although it is highly variable. Here we show with model experiments that the dust-induced Indian summ...

We present an echelle spectrum of the Swift GRB 050730, obtained four hours after the burst using the MIKE spectrograph on the Magellan Clay Telescope when the afterglow was at R = 17.7. The spectrum reveals a forest of absorption features superimposed on a simple power-law shaped continuum, best described as fν(λ) ∝ λ α with α = 1.88± 0.01 over λ = 7000− 9000 Å. We identify the GRB host at zGR...