There are ten,not eight planets

In 1946, E. Sevin postulated the global vibrations of the Sun with a period P ₀ = 1/9 day and a “wavelength” L ₀ = c × P ₀ = 19.24 AU and predicted the tenth planet at a mean distance of 4.0 × L ₀ ≈ 77.0 AU from the Sun (c is the speed of light). The global vibrations of the Sun, precisely with the period of 1/9 day, were actually detected in 1974. Recently, the largest Kuiper Bell object 2003 UB₃₁₃, or Eris, with an orbital semimajor axis ≈ 3.5 × L ₀ ≈ 67.5 AU was discovered. We adduce arguments for the status of Eris as our tenth planet: (i) the object is larger and farther from the Sun than Pluto and (ii) the semimajor axis of Eris agrees well with the sequence of planetary distances that follows from the resonance spectrum of the Solar system dimensions (with the scale L ₀ and for all 11 orbits, including those of Pluto, Eris, and the asteroid belt). We point to a mistake of the Prague (2006) IAU Assembly, which excluded Pluto from the family of planets by introducing a new, highly controversial class of objects—“dwarf planets.”     

Preheating of the early universe by radiation from high-mass X-ray binaries

Using a reliablymeasured intrinsic (i.e., corrected for absorption effects) present-day luminosity function of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) in the 0.25–2 keV energy band per unit star formation rate, we estimate the preheating of the early Universe by soft X-rays from such systems. We find that X-ray irradiation, mainly executed by ultraluminous and supersoft ultraluminous X-ray sources with luminosity L _X > 10³⁹ erg s^?1, could significantly heat (T >T _CMB, where T _CMB is the temperature of the cosmic microwave background) the intergalactic medium by z ~ 10 if the specific X-ray emissivity of the young stellar population in the early Universe was an order of magnitude higher than at the present epoch (which is possible due to the low metallicity of the first galaxies) and the soft X-ray emission from HMXBs did not suffer strong absorption within their galaxies. This makes it possible to observe the 21 cm line of neutral hydrogen in emission from redshifts z < 10.     

Infrared luminosities of local-volume galaxies

Based on data from the Two-Micrometer All-Sky Survey (2MASS), we analyzed the infrared properties of 451 Local-Volume galaxies at distances D ≤ 10 Mpc. We determined the K-band luminosity function of the galaxies in the range of absolute magnitudes from ?25^m to ?11^m. The local luminosity density within 8 Mpc is 6.8 × 10⁸L_⊙ Mpc^?3, a factor of 1.5 ± 0.1 higher than the global mean K-band luminosity density. We determined the ratios of the virial mass to the K-band luminosity for nearby groups and clusters of galaxies. In the luminosity range from 5 × 10¹⁰ to 2 × 10¹³L_⊙, the dependence log(M/L_K) ∝ (0.27 ± 0.03) log L_K with a dispersion of ～0.1 comparable to the measurement errors of the masses and luminosities of the systems of galaxies holds for the groups and clusters of galaxies. The ensemble-averaged ratio, 〈M/L_K〉 ? (20–25) M_⊙/L_⊙, was found to be much smaller than the expected global ratio, (80–90)M_⊙/L_⊙, in the standard model with Ω_m = 0.27. This discrepancy can be eliminated if the bulk of the dark matter in the Universe is not associated with galaxies and their systems.     

The sun,the cosmic vibration,and the nucleus of the galaxy 4151

Numerous U and V magnitude measurements were performed for the nucleus of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 at the Crimean Laboratory of the SAI (Moscow University) in 1994–2005. Adding them to the previous data for 1968–1997 has led to a substantial increase in the confidence level of the light variations in NGC 4151 with a stable period of P _G = 160.0108(7) min and a mean amplitude of 0.007 U mag (in the “active” state of the nucleus). The period of NGC 4151 agrees well with the period of 160.0101(15) min found previously in the oscillations of the Sun. It is treated as the period of a “coherent cosmic oscillation” independent of redshift z or as the period of “free cosmic vibrations” of the hydrogen atom, the main element of the Universe. The period and initial phase of the P _G oscillation have been constant for 38 years of NGC 4151 observations. The new astrophysical phenomenon appears to be closely related to the quantum nonlocality of photons and is of particular interest in physics and cosmology.     

Slow solar wind: Sources and components of the stream structure at the solar maximum

We study the sources and components of the solar-wind spatial stream structure at the maximum of the solar cycle 23. In our analysis, we use several independent sets of experimental data: radio-astronomical observations of scattered radiation from compact sources with the determination of the distance from the Sun to the inner boundary of the transonic-flow transition region (R_in); calculated data on the magnetic-field intensity and structure in the solar corona, in the solar-wind source region, obtained from optical measurements of the photospheric magnetic-field intensity at the Stanford Solar Observatory (USA); and observations of the white-light corona with the LASCO coronograph onboard the SOHO spacecraft. We show that at the solar maximum, low-speed streams with a transition region located far from the Sun dominate in the solar-wind structure. A correlation analysis of the location of the inner boundary R_in and the source-surface magnetic-field intensity |B _R | on a sphere R=2.5R_S (R_S is the solar radius) has revealed the previously unknown lowest-speed streams, which do not fit into the regular relationship between the parameters R_in and |B _R |. In the white-light corona, the sources of these streams are located near the dark strip, a coronal region with a greatly reduced density; the nonstandard parameters of the streams probably result from the interaction of several discrete sources of different types.     

Fast Spinning of Planets

Spin periods of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are specified by the analysis of the resonant motion of large satellites: \(P = 0.445(2)\,\hbox {d}\), 0.448(1) d, 0.673(9) d and 0.561(7) d, respectively. They occur to be near-commensurate with \(P_0=9600.606(12)\,\hbox {s}\), the period of the “cosmic” oscillation, discovered first in the Sun, then in other variable objects of the Universe. The like analysis of spin rates of the total set of the largest and fastest rotators of the Solar system (with mean diameters \(\ge 500\,\hbox {km}\) and \(P < 2\,\hbox {d}\),—of planets, asteroids and satellites) resulted in the best commensurable, or “synchronizing”, timescale 9594(65) s, coinciding fairly well with \(P_0\) too (the probability that the two timescales could agree by chance, is less than \(10^{-5}\)). True origin of this odd common resonance of our planetary system is unknown.     

Decay of Activity Complexes,Formation of Unipolar Magnetic Regions,and Coronal Holes in Their Causal Relation

The peculiar development of solar activity in the current cycle resulted in an asynchronous reversal of the Sun’s polar fields. The asymmetry is also observed in the formation of polar coronal holes. A stable coronal hole was first formed at the South Pole, despite the later polar-field reversal there. The aim of this study is to understand the processes making this situation possible. Synoptic magnetic maps from the Global Oscillation Network Group and corresponding coronal-hole maps from the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory are analyzed here to study the causal relationship between the decay of activity complexes, evolution of large-scale magnetic fields, and formation of coronal holes. Ensembles of coronal holes associated with decaying active regions and activity complexes are presented. These ensembles take part in global rearrangements of the Sun’s open magnetic flux. In particular, the south polar coronal hole was formed from an ensemble of coronal holes that came into existence after the decay of multiple activity complexes observed during 2014.     

Photometric elements,apsidal motion,and a third body in the eclipsing binary HP Aur

Highly accurate W BV R photometric measurements of the eclipsing binary HP Aur were performed in 2002–2003 with the 48-cm AZT-14 reflector at the Tien-Shan High-Altitude Observatory to determine the rate of apsidal motion. A consistent system of physical and geometrical parameters of the components and the binary as a whole has been constructed for the first time by analyzing these new measurements together with other published data: we determined their radii (R₁ = 1.05R_⊙, R₂ = 0.82R_⊙) and luminosities (L₁ = 1.10L_⊙, L₂ = 0.46L_⊙), spectral types (G2V + G8V) and surface gravities (log g₁ = 4.38, log g₂ = 4.51), age (t = 9.5 × 10⁹ yr), and the distance to the binary (d = 197 pc). We detected an ultraviolet excess in the spectra of both components, \(\Delta (W - B) \simeq - 0\mathop .\limits^m 25\), that is probably attributable to a metal deficiency in the atmospheres of these stars. In this system of two solar-type stars, we found a third body with the mass M₃ sin i ₃ ³ = 0.17_M⊙ that revolved with the period P₃ = 13.7 yr around the eclipsing binary in a highly eccentric elliptical orbit: e₃ = 0.70 and A₃ sin i₃ ? 7 AU. The orbit of the eclipsing binary itself was shown to be also elliptical, but with a low eccentricity (e = 0.0025(5)), while apsidal motion with a period U_obs > 80 yr was observed at a theoretically expected period U_th ≈ 92 yr. At least 20 to 30 more years of photoelectric measurements of this star will be required to reliably determine U_obs.     

Radial pulsations of helium stars with masses from 1 to 10 <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>⊙</Subscript>

We present the results of our hydrodynamic calculations of radial pulsations in helium stars with masses 1 M_⊙ ≤ M ≤ 10 M_⊙, luminosity-to-mass ratios 1 × 10³L_⊙/M_⊙ ≤ L/M ≤ 2 × 10⁴L_⊙/M_⊙, and effective temperatures 2 × 10⁴ K ≤ T_eff ≤ 10⁵ K for mass fractions of helium Y=0.98 and heavy elements Z=0.02. We show that the lower boundary of the pulsation-instability region corresponds to L/M ～ 10³L_⊙/M_⊙ and that the instability region for L/M ? 5 × 10³L_⊙/M_⊙ is bounded by effective temperatures T_eff ? 3 × 10⁴ K. As the luminosity rises, the instability boundary moves into the left part of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and radial pulsations can arise in stars with effective temperatures T_eff ? 10⁵ K at L/M ? 7 × 10³L_⊙/M_⊙. The velocity amplitude for the outer boundary of the hydrodynamic model increases with L/M and lies within the range 200 ? ΔU ? 700 km s^?1 for the models under consideration. The periodic shock waves that accompany radial pulsations cause a significant change of the gas-density distribution in the stellar atmosphere, which is described by a dynamic scale height comparable to the stellar radius. The dynamic instability boundary that corresponds to the separation of the outer stellar atmospheric layers at a superparabolic velocity is roughly determined by a luminosity-to-mass ratio L/M ～ 3 × 10⁴L_⊙/M_⊙.     

Stellar velocity dispersion and mass estimation for galactic disks

Available velocity dispersion estimates for the old stellar population of galactic disks at galactocentric distances r?2L (where L is the photometric radial scale length of the disk) are used to determine the threshold local surface density of disks that are stable against gravitational perturbations. The mass of the disk M_d calculated under the assumption of its marginal stability is compared with the total mass M_t and luminosity L _B of the galaxy within r=4L. We corroborate the conclusion that a substantial fraction of the mass in galaxies is probably located in their dark halos. The ratio of the radial velocity dispersion to the circular velocity increases along the sequence of galactic color indices and decreases from the early to late morphological types. For most of the galaxies with large color indices (B–V)₀>0.75, which mainly belong to the S0 type, the velocity dispersion exceeds significantly the threshold value required for the disk to be stable. The reverse situation is true for spiral galaxies: the ratios M_d/L_B for these agree well with those expected for evolving stellar systems with the observed color indices. This suggests that the disks of spiral galaxies underwent no significant dynamical heating after they reached a quasi-equilibrium stable state.     

Radial pulsations of helium stars with masses from 10 to 50<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>⊙</Subscript>

We have performed hydrodynamic calculations of the radial pulsations of helium stars with masses 10M_⊙ ≤ M ≤ 50M_⊙, luminosity-to-mass ratios 5 × 10³L_⊙/M_⊙ ≤ L/M ≤ 2.5 × 10⁴L_⊙/M_⊙, and effective temperatures 2 × 10⁴ K ≤ T_eff ≤ 10⁵ K for helium and heavy-element mass fractions of Y=0.98 and Z=0.02, respectively. We show that the high-temperature boundary of the instability region for radial pulsations at L/M ? 10⁴L_⊙/M_⊙ extends to T_eff≈10⁵ K. The amplitude of the velocity variations for outer layers is several hundred km s^?1, while the brightness variations in the B band of the UBV photometric system are within the range from several hundredths to half a magnitude. At constant luminosity-to-mass ratio, the radial pulsation period is determined only by the effective temperature of the star. In the ranges of luminosity-to-mass ratios 10⁴L_⊙/M_⊙ ≤ L/M ≤ 2 × 10⁴L_⊙/M_⊙ and effective temperatures 5 × 10⁴ K ≤ T_eff ≤ 9 × 10⁴ K, the periods of the radial modes are within 6 min ?Π?10³ min.     

Mass-to-light ratios for galaxy pairs and triplets in various environments

We have estimated the dark matter content in galaxy pairs and triplets selected from SDSS DR5 by a higher-order Voronoi tesseleration method. Specifically, the median mass-to-light ratios M _vir/L are 12 M _⊙/L _⊙ for isolated pairs, 44 M _⊙/L _⊙ for isolated triplets, and 7 (8) M _⊙/L _⊙ for compact pairs (triplets) with a characteristic distance between the galaxies of R < 50 (100) kpc. We show that the less isolated a system, the larger its mass-to-light ratio. This suggests that galaxy groups in a denser environment have a higher velocity dispersion.     

Site Characterization Using Solar Hα Images

A Multi-Application Solar Telescope (MAST) is proposed to be installed at the lake site (Lake Fatehsagar) of Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO) in India. The lake site Observatory of USO is located on a small island in the middle of the lake. To determine the optimum size of the MAST (for use with an adaptive optics system), it was decided to quantify the seeing conditions prevailing at the lake site during the different months of the year. For this purpose, we have used short-exposure (3 ms) high-resolution Hα (6563 Å) images (spatial scale of ～0.55 arc sec per pixel) of the Sun taken in burst mode with the 15-cm refractor Spar telescope located at the lake site of USO. Spectral ratio technique as reported by von der Lühe (1984, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A1, 510) has been used to estimate the Fried’s parameter (r ₀) at this site, which gives the quantitative measure of astronomical seeing. This study has been carried out daily on an hourly basis during 4:30?–?10:30 UT over the months January?–?June of the years 2005 and 2006 to understand the diurnal and seasonal variations in r ₀ at this site. It is noteworthy that the lake was almost dry during the observing period in 2005, while it overflowed during our observations in 2006 because of abundant monsoon rains. The seeing in the presence of water shows improvement in r ₀ by about 1.0 cm with respect to the previous year’s dry condition and mean r ₀ varies between 4.0 and 4.5 cm as evident from the data obtained between January and June, 2006.     

A Study of the Earth-Affecting CMEs of Solar Cycle 24

Using in situ observations from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), we have identified 70 Earth-affecting interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) in Solar Cycle 24. Because of the unprecedented extent of heliospheric observations in Cycle 24 that has been achieved thanks to the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instruments onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), we observe these events throughout the heliosphere from the Sun to the Earth, and we can relate these in situ signatures to remote sensing data. This allows us to completely track the event back to the source of the eruption in the low corona. We present a summary of the Earth-affecting CMEs in Solar Cycle 24 and a statistical study of the properties of these events including the source region. We examine the characteristics of CMEs that are more likely to be strongly geoeffective and examine the effect of the flare strength on in situ properties. We find that Earth-affecting CMEs in the first half of Cycle 24 are more likely to come from the northern hemisphere, but after April 2012, this reverses, and these events are more likely to originate in the southern hemisphere, following the observed magnetic asymmetry in the two hemispheres. We also find that as in past solar cycles, CMEs from the western hemisphere are more likely to reach Earth. We find that Cycle 24 lacks in events driving extreme geomagnetic storms compared to past solar cycles.     

Infrared photometry of eight planetary nebulae

We discuss the infrared (IR) (1.25–5 µm) photometry of eight planetary nebulae performed in 1999–2006. For all of the nebulae under study, we have firmly established IR brightness and color variations on time scales shorter than one year and up to 6–8 years. The greatest IR brightness variations were observed in IC 2149, IC 4997, and NGC 7662. Their J magnitudes varied within 0 _. ^m 2–0 _. ^m 25. In the remaining objects, the J magnitude variations did not exceed 0 _. ^m 15. All of the planetary nebulae under study exhibited IR color variations. Based on the IR photometry, we have classified the central regions of the planetary nebula NGC 1514 and of the northern part of NGC 7635 seen through a 12″ aperture as a B(3–7) main-sequence star (NGC 1514) and a ～O9.5 upper-main-sequence star (NGC 7635). The nebulae IC 4997 and NGC 7027 exhibited an excess emission (with respect to the emission from a hot source) at λ > 2.5 µm.     

On Errors in Constructing the Polarization Phase Dependences for Solar System Bodies

In astrophysical studies of Solar System bodies, the measured values of the linear polarization degree P_obs and the position angle of the polarization plane θ are usually considered relative to the plane orthogonal to the scattering plane; and the resulting quantities are designated as P_r and θ_r, respectively. Parameters of the phase curve of polarization P_r = f(α) serve for determining the physical characteristics of grains composing the regolith surfaces of such bodies as, for example, the Moon, Mercury, asteroids, and planetary satellites, or the polydisperse media, such as cometary comae and tails. In this paper it has been shown that the error in the polarization degree grows \({\sigma _{{P_r}}}\) due to the error \({\sigma _{{\theta _{obs}}}}\) in determining the position angle. The interrelations between these errors were obtained, and the conditions, under which the values of the linear polarization degree P_r relative to the orthogonal system can be used to analyze the phase dependences of polarization, were formulated.     

Interplanetary and Geomagnetic Consequences of Interacting CMEs of 13 – 14 June 2012

We report on the kinematics of two interacting CMEs observed on 13 and 14 June 2012. The two CMEs originated from the same active region NOAA 11504. After their launches which were separated by several hours, they were observed to interact at a distance of \(100~R_{\odot}\) from the Sun. The interaction led to a moderate geomagnetic storm at the Earth with minimum \(\mathrm{D}_{\mathrm{st}}\) index of approximately ?86 nT. The kinematics of the two CMEs is estimated using data from the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instrument onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO). Assuming a head-on collision scenario, we find that the collision is inelastic in nature. Further, the signatures of their interaction are examined using the in situ observations obtained by Wind and the Advance Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft. It is also found that this interaction event led to the strongest sudden storm commencement (SSC) (\({\approx\,}150\) nT) of the present Solar Cycle 24. The SSC was of long duration, approximately 20 hours. The role of interacting CMEs in enhancing the geoeffectiveness is examined.     

Variability and rapid evolution of the protoplanetary object IRAS 18062+2410=V886 her

We present our long-term photometric and spectroscopic observations of a high-latitude B supergiant with an infrared excess—the protoplanetary nebula IRAS 18062+2410. OurU BV observations in 2000–2006 have confirmed the rapid irregular photometric variability of the star with a maximum amplitude as high as 0 _. ^m 4 in V that we found previously. The B—V and U—B color indices vary with amplitudes as high as 0 _. ^m 10 and 0 _. ^m 25, respectively, and show no clear correlation with the brightness. Our V-band CCD observations on 11 nights in 2006 have revealed brightness trends during the night. The variability of IRAS18062+2410 is similar in pattern to the light variations in other hot post-AGB objects and some of the nuclei of young planetary nebulae. We assume that pulsations and a variable stellar wind can be responsible for the variability of these stars. In addition to the rapid variability, our 12-year-long observations have revealed a systematic decline in the mean brightness of IRAS 18062+2410. This may be related to a rise in the temperature of the star at constant luminosity as a result of its evolution. Low-resolution spectroscopic observations have shown a systematic increase in the equivalent widths of the Hα, Hβ, [NII]λ6584 Å, OI λ8446 Å, and [OII] λ7320–7330 Å emission lines. The changes in the star’s emission line spectrum are probably caused by an increase in the degree of ionization of the gas shell due to a rise in the temperature of the ionizing star. Our photometric and spectroscopic observations of IRAS 18062+2410 confirm the previously made assumptions that the star evolves very rapidly to the region of planetary nebulae.     

A Challenging Solar Eruptive Event of 18 November 2003 and the Causes of the 20 November Geomagnetic Superstorm. III. Catastrophe of the Eruptive Filament at a Magnetic Null Point and Formation of an Opposite-Handedness CME

Our analysis in Papers I and II (Grechnev et al., Solar Phys. 289, 289, 2014b and Solar Phys. 289, 1279, 2014c) of the 18 November 2003 solar event responsible for the 20 November geomagnetic superstorm has revealed a complex chain of eruptions. In particular, the eruptive filament encountered a topological discontinuity located near the solar disk center at a height of about 100 Mm, bifurcated, and transformed into a large cloud, which did not leave the Sun. Concurrently, an additional CME presumably erupted close to the bifurcation region. The conjectures about the responsibility of this compact CME for the superstorm and its disconnection from the Sun are confirmed in Paper IV (Grechnev et al., Solar Phys. submitted, 2014a), which concludes about its probable spheromak-like structure. The present article confirms the presence of a magnetic null point near the bifurcation region and addresses the origin of the magnetic helicity of the interplanetary magnetic clouds and their connection to the Sun. We find that the orientation of a magnetic dipole constituted by dimmed regions with the opposite magnetic polarities away from the parent active region corresponded to the direction of the axial field in the magnetic cloud, while the pre-eruptive filament mismatched it. To combine all of the listed findings, we propose an intrinsically three-dimensional scheme, in which a spheromak-like eruption originates via the interaction of the initially unconnected magnetic fluxes of the eruptive filament and pre-existing ones in the corona. Through a chain of magnetic reconnections their positive mutual helicity was transformed into the self-helicity of the spheromak-like magnetic cloud.