Despite ~50 years of compact object studies in the Galaxy, the physics of relativistic jet launching remains an active and open field of research. There has been important recent progress in development of state-of-the-art MHD simulations, but how these determine the emission properties is now a major focus. A deeper understanding requires us to

Supermassive black holes, and the outflows they drive, are an established part of our understanding of galaxy evolution. Indeed, cosmological models rely on outflows to reproduce the observed scaling relations. But the enormous range of outflow rates that are measured for AGN of the same luminosity, highlights a gaping hole in our understanding of

This is a proposal for 98 hours of NIRSPEC/PRISM observations of 59 trans-Neptunian objects and Centaurs (hereafter, TNOs). Our targets cover a diverse range of orbital characteristics, sizes, albedos, and surface compositions complementary to the GTO targets. The TNO population includes some of the most primitive bodies in the Solar System and

Observations suggest that Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars contribute significantly to the dust budgets of galaxies, from our own Presolar Nebula to the Magellanic Clouds. However, models suggest their contribution should decrease with metallicity, possibly becoming overshadowed by supernova and interstellar grain growth in primitive

Understanding the ouflows driven by Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is of key importance for the modern view of galaxy evolution. A recent paradigm shift in our picture of dust in the vicinity of AGN offers promise for outflow science. We now know that a major part of an AGN's mid-infrared (MIR) dust emission comes from a polar structure that arises

Galaxy clusters are the most massive gravitationally bound structures in the Universe and they play a key role in our understanding of structure formation and galaxy evolution. The particular conditions of these high density environments can have a significant effect on the evolution of galaxies. Previous studies have reported systematic