Densities of the three constituent spheroids of the same eccentricity as our earlier model of the Galaxy are assumed to be given by an analytical form of ρ i (r)= k i e − m i r u i , where k i , m i , and α i are obtained by comparing with the results of the previous model. Using three values of ρ i (r) the galactic rotation curve, mass of each spheroid and the whole Galaxy are calculated, and the three dimensional density distribution in the Galaxy is also obtained. The calculated rotation curve of the model Galaxy is in good agreement with the observed curve, and the shape of the cross section of the model Galaxy given by the computed density is very similar to the inferred shape of the spiral galaxies.

An improved version of the galatic mass distribution has been derived by increasing the number of shells in each spheroid of our earlier model. It is found that the increase of the number of the shell improves the model considerably, thus making it agree far better with observations.

A simple model of the galactic mass distribution consisting of one sphere and two spheroids with different eccentricities is considered. The resulting model is found to be consistent with the recent observations of the galactic rotation as well as suggested shape of the Galaxy.

The gain of internal energy of a star cluster caused by the tidal attraction of our Galaxy is examined. Expressions are derived which include the effects of a two-body orbit and internal motions of the cluster. These formulae are compared with previous results based on (i) uniform rectilinear motion and (ii) neglect of internal motions induced by cluster gravitation(i.e., impulsive approximation), and it is found that these simplifying assumptions generally introduce significant uncertainties.

The dependencies of the chemical element abundances in stellar atmospheres with respect to solar abundances on the second ionization potentials of the same elements were investigated using the published stellar abundance patterns for 1,149 G and K giants in the Local Region of the Galaxy. The correlations between the relative abundances of chemical elements and their second ionization potentials were calculated for groups of stars with effective temperatures between 3,764 and 7,725 K. Correlations were identified for chemical elements with second ionization potentials of 12.5 eV to 20 eV and for elements with second ionization potentials higher than 20 eV. For the first group of elements, the correlation coefficients were positive for stars with effective temperatures lower than 5,300 K and negative for stars with effective temperatures from 5,300 K to 7,725 K. The results of this study and the comparison with earlier results for hotter stars confirm the variations in these correlations with the effective temperature. A possible explanation for the observed effects is the accretion of hydrogen and helium atoms from the interstellar medium.

The nature of the exotic stellar corpses which reincarnate by consuming their companion is reviewed. Apart from sucking life from their partners, they are actually eating the doomed companions away by their deadly and powerful particle/radiation beams. Such situation resembles that a female “black widow” spider that eats its mate after mating. These celestial zombies are called - Millisecond pulsars (MSPs). In this review article, I will focus on the effort of Fermi Asian Network (FAN) in exploring these intricating objects over the last five years. Two special classes of MSPs are particularly striking. Since Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has started surveying the gamma−ray sky, the population of “black widows” has been boosted. Another dramatic class is so-called “redbacks” (Australian cousin of “black widows”) which has just emerged in the last few years. These MSPs provide us with a long-sought missing link in understanding the transition between accretion-powered and rotation-powered systems. The strategy of hunting MSPs through mulitwavelength observations of the unidentified Fermi objects is also reviewed.

White dwarf stars have played important roles in rather diverse areas of astrophysics. This paper outlines how these stellar remnants, especially those in widely separated “fragile” binaries, have provided unique leverage on difficult astrophysical problems such as the ages of stars, the structure and evolution of the Galaxy, the nature of dark matter and even the discovery of dark energy.