An x-ray astronomy experiment consisting of three collimated proportional counters and an X-ray Sky Monitor (XSM) was flown aboard the Indian Satellite IRS-P3 launched on March 21, 1996 from SHAR range in India. The Satellite is in a circular orbit of 830 km altitude with an orbital inclination of 98° and has three axis stabilized pointing capability. Each pointed-mode Proportional Counter (PPC) is a multilayer, multianode unit filled with P-10 gas (90% Ar + 10% CH4) at 800 torr and having an aluminized mylar window of 25 micron thickness. The three PPCs are identical and have a field of view of 2°×2° defined by silver coated aluminium honeycomb collimators. The total effective area of the three PPCs is about 1200 cm2. The PPCs are sensitive in 2-20 keV band. The XSM consists of a pin-hole of 1 cm2 area placed 16 cm above the anode plane of a 32 cm×32 cm position sensitive proportional counter sensitive in 3-8 keV interval. The position of the x-ray events is determined by charge division technique using nichrome wires as anodes. The principal objective of this experiment is to carry out timing studies of x-ray pulsars, x-ray binaries and other rapidly varying x-ray sources. The XSM will be used to detect transient x-ray sources and monitor intensity of bright x-ray binaries. Observations of black-hole binary Cyg X-1 and few other binary sources were carried out in early May and July-August 1996 period. Details of the x-ray detector characteristics are presented and preliminary results from the observations are discussed.

We developed a telescope control system called ASTROS for the VST1 and VST2, which are specially designed radio telescopes to make a survey and have a 60-cm main dish. ASTROS is designed on the distributed intelligence concept and structurized programming. The hardware of the system is composed of several intelligent devices connected with de facto standard interfaces and main control unit is PC. The program is coded in the C language and its structure is object oriented in order to make easy to replace the component devices. ASTROS is now running on two twin telescopes, VST1 and VST2. VST1 is installed at Nobeyama in Japan and VST2 is installed at La Silla in Chile. They are making a galactic plane survey in CO (J=2-1) with 9 arcmin beam semi-automatically.

Non-LTE calculations, with the non-thermal ionization effects included, indicated that for electron bombardment, the Hα line is widely broadened and shows a strong central reversal. Significant enhancements at the line wings of Lyα and Lyβ are also predicted at the beginning of the impulsive phase of flares. For the proton bombardment, no strong broadening and no large central reversal are expected. However, due to proton-hydrogen charge exchange, the enhancements at the red wings of Lyα and Lyβ lines at the early impulsive phase of flares are significant. Our results show that the electron beam can also in some cases generate visible and UV continuum emission in white-light flares. However, at the onset phase, a negative flare may appear within several seconds, due to the increase of the H- opacity. Another spectroscopic signature of energetic particles, i.e. the impact polarization of atomic lines, is also mentioned.

We have made observations of the dark cloud, B5 in the transitions of H2CO, J = 1 10 ― 1 11, and 2 12 ― 1 11. We compared the H2CO result with the observational results of CO and with the visual extinction. There exists an overall correspondence of molecules and extinction. However, a detailed agreement is lacking. We discussed the kinematics and the spatial relationship of molecules and extinction in this cloud.

We present the results of an rocket-borne observation of far-infrared [CII] line at 157.7 μm from the diffuse inter-stellar medium in the Ursa Major. We also introduce a part of results on the [CII] emission recently obtained by the IRTS, a liquid-helium cooled 15cm telescope onboard the Space Flyer Unit. From the rocket-borne observation we obtained the cooling rate of the diffuse HI gas due to the [CII] line emission, which is 1.3±0.2 × 10-26 ergss-1 H-1atom. We also observed appreciable [CII] emission from the molecular clouds, with average CII/CO intensity ratio of 420. The IRTS observation provided the [CII] line emission distribution over large area of the sky along great circles crossing the Galactic plane at I = 50° and I = 230°. We found two components in their intensity distributions, one concentrates on the Galactic plane and the another extends over at least 20° in Galactic latitude. We ascribe one component to the emission from the Galactic disk, and the another one to the emission from the local interstellar gas. The [CII] cooling rate of the latter component is 5.6 ± 2.2 ×10.

The solar neighbourhood is the starting point for studies of the structure and evolution of the Galactic disk. Yet, our knowledge of the relative frequencies, distances, ages, chemical abundances, velocities, and birthplaces of the nearby stars is severely incomplete. We have determined complete, homogeneous, and precise such data for a kinematically unbiased sample of ~12,000 local F and G dwarf stars and describe a first, significant result from it.

We review observational evidence bearing on the formation of a prototypical large spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. New ground- and space-based studies of globular star clusters and dwarf spheroidal galaxies provide a wealth of information to constrain theories of galaxy formation. It appears likely that the Milky Way formed by an combination of rapid, dissipative collapse and mergers, but the relative contributions of these two mechanisms remain controversial. New evidence, however, indicates that initial star and star cluster formation occurred simultaneously over a volume that presently extends to twice the distance of the Magellanic Clouds.

To derive coronal temperature, electron density and nonthermal velocity, we have analyzed high resolution spectra (e.g., Fe XII 338.3, Fe XII 352.1, Fe XIV 334.2, Fe XIV 353.8, Fe XV 284.2, Fe XV 321.8, Fe XV 327.0, Fe XVI 335.4, and Fe XVI 360.8) taken from AR 6615 by SERTS (Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph). Important findings emerging from the present study are as follows: (1) Temperature estimated from Fe XVI 335.4 and Fe XIV, 334.2 is ~2.4 × 106 K and no systematic difference in temperature is found between the active region and its adjacent quiet region; (2) Mean electron density estimated from Fe XV is ~3 × 109 cm -3 and ~10 10 cm-3 from Fe XII and Fe XIV; (3) Mean density of the active region is found to be higher than that of the quiet region by a factor of 2; (4) Nonthermal velocity estimated from Fe XV and Fe XVI is 20 ~ 25 km s-l which decreases with increasing ionization temperatures. This supports the notion that the nonthermal velocity declines outwards above the transition region.