A new method of representing star count data is shown which has the advantage over traditional methods of giving clear insights into the luminosity functions and density distributions of certain stellar components of the Galaxy. When this method is applied to data from the Two-Micron Galactic Survey (TMGS) it is seen that the luminosity function of

We have recently introduced a new algorithm, the implicit integral method (IIM), for solving radiative transfer problems in which the specific source functions (for each frequency and direction) depend linearly on the radiation field via a single quantity which is independent of both frequency and direction. We define this kind of relationship as

We present the first light curves in the infrared j and K filters, obtained in different runs during 1990, 1991, and 1994. The solutions of these IR light curves together with the previous determinations, gathered from visual light curves and spectroscopic studies, finally yield stellar parameters that can be accepted with confidence. The study of

Optical spectroscopy of the highly collimated bipolar nebulae He 2-25, Th 2-B and 19W32 is presented. He 2-25 and Th 2-B are found to have very dense (N_e~10^7 cm^-3) cores characterized by emission lines of low- to intermediate-ionization species, including rich [FeII] emission. The Hα profiles present broad non-Gaussian wings. These spectral

LZ Cen is a double-lined, near-contact but detached eclipsing binary consisting of two evolved early B stars (B0.5-B1). This paper presents the first photoelectric and spectroscopic analysis of the system, based on new light curves and spectroscopic data. uvby light curves were obtained with the Danish 50 cm telescope at ESO, La Silla (916 points

In this paper we discuss the observational consequences of a dependence of meteor brightness on the entry angle z_R_, namely the decrease of the observed rates of meteors and the reduction of the population indices r for radiant zenith distances larger than zero. These effects, if not properly accounted for, lead to erroneous values of meteor