Raman spectroscopy has been used to investigate the structure of coal tar pitch heat-treated up to 3000℃ by using 514.5 run Ar ion laser line. Four critical temperature ranges were found on pyrolyzing coal tar pitch, which correspond to four distinct processes from disordered carbons to the well-ordered graphite structure. The range of heat treat temperature (HTT) below 1000℃ corresponds to gas evolution during the pyrolysis of coal tar pitch. Above the HTT are correlated to rearrangements of enlarged molecules, growth of the molecules along the direction of plane, finally stacking in the normal direction of the plane, in the respective HTT ranges of 1000-2000, above 2000 and 2500-3000℃.

Multi-wavelength observing has been particularly fruitful in cool star research. There have been some well-observed examples, eg AB Dor, though ambiguity remains. This raises issues of data information content and model parameter determinacy, which are examined firstly in an optical context. We then widen the discussion to show how multi-site and multi-wavelength data can be combined to point to better constrained models. Particular cases, involving near-simultaneous radiometry and photometry, are discussed to clarify such modelling.

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.