The most sensitive X-ray survey available is a deep exposure made by the Einstein Observatory of a 40 arcmin field in the southern constellation of Pavo. This survey revealed 33 X-ray sources, most of which were optically identified with quasars. Here, we report radio observations of the Pavo region at 843 MHz made with the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope. Eight overlapping fields were combined to produce the most sensitive radio map of the region to date, revealing 33 radio sources above a flux density of 2.4 mJy. Only one of these radio sources corresponded to an X-ray object: a quasar at z = 1.13. We also used the Parkes-Tidbinbilla Interferometer, at 2.29 GHz and 8.41 GHz, to observe some of the stronger radio sources.

From these multi-wavelength observations of the Pavo field it is apparent that, to the sensitivity of the surveys involved, (i) there is little correlation between X-ray and radio detections, and (ii) most of the X-ray sources have optical counterparts while few of the radio ones do, and (iii) there is some confirmation that X-ray emission is higher for objects with flat radio spectra (i.e., a dominant core) than for steep spectrum sources.

We have successfully demonstrated optical aperture synthesis at the 4-m Anglo-Australian Telescope. By using a multi-hole mask over the (re-imaged) primary mirror and recording the resulting fringe patterns with high time resolution, diffraction-limited images of sufficiently bright objects can be reconstructed. The data processing uses closure phases to overcome the effects of atmospheric turbulence. We show an image of the double star η Oph, with component separation 0″.45.

We propose to construct an optical interferometer to produce high resolution images by aperture synthesis. The interferometer, known as the Masked Aperture Pupil-Plane Interference Telescope (MAPPIT), will be mounted at the coudé focus of the Anglo-Australian Telescope. It will use a non-redundant aperture mask, together with closure phase methods developed for radio VLBI, to overcome the wavefront distortions which are introduced by atmospheric turbulence. By using the techniques of pupil-plane interferometry and wavelength dispersion, it is hoped that MAPPIT will have more sensitivity than many other interferometric imaging projects.

The radio source G357.7-0.1 has commonly been regarded as a galactic supernova remnant; alternative interpretations have concentrated on the pronounced brightness gradient along its major axis. Analysis of our new map shows that this brightness gradient masks an even more crucial characteristic – symmetry about the centre – the key to a totally different interpretation.

PILOT (the Pathfinder for an International Large Optical Telescope) is a proposed 2.5-m optical/infrared telescope to be located at Dome C on the Antarctic plateau. The atmospheric conditions at Dome C deliver a high sensitivity, high photometric precision, wide-field, high spatial resolution, and high-cadence imaging capability to the PILOT telescope. These capabilities enable a unique scientific potential for PILOT, which is addressed in this series of papers. The current paper presents a series of projects dealing with the nearby Universe that have been identified as key science drivers for the PILOT facility. Several projects are proposed that examine stellar populations in nearby galaxies and stellar clusters in order to gain insight into the formation and evolution processes of galaxies and stars. A series of projects will investigate the molecular phase of the Galaxy and explore the ecology of star formation, and investigate the formation processes of stellar and planetary systems. Three projects in the field of exoplanet science are proposed: a search for free-floating low-mass planets and dwarfs, a program of follow-up observations of gravitational microlensing events, and a study of infrared light-curves for previously discovered exoplanets. Three projects are also proposed in the field of planetary and space science: optical and near-infrared studies aimed at characterising planetary atmospheres, a study of coronal mass ejections from the Sun, and a monitoring program searching for small-scale Low Earth Orbit satellite debris items.

PILOT (the Pathfinder for an International Large Optical Telescope) is a proposed 2.5-m optical/infrared telescope to be located at Dome C on the Antarctic plateau. Conditions at Dome C are known to be exceptional for astronomy. The seeing (above ∼30 m height), coherence time, and isoplanatic angle are all twice as good as at typical mid-latitude sites, while the water-vapour column, and the atmosphere and telescope thermal emission are all an order of magnitude better. These conditions enable a unique scientific capability for PILOT, which is addressed in this series of papers. The current paper presents an overview of the optical and instrumentation suite for PILOT and its expected performance, a summary of the key science goals and observational approach for the facility, a discussion of the synergies between the science goals for PILOT and other telescopes, and a discussion of the future of Antarctic astronomy. Paper II and Paper III present details of the science projects divided, respectively, between the distant Universe (i.e. studies of first light, and the assembly and evolution of structure) and the nearby Universe (i.e. studies of Local Group galaxies, the Milky Way, and the Solar System).

The cold, dry, and stable air above the summits of the Antarctic plateau provides the best ground-based observing conditions from optical to sub-millimetre wavelengths to be found on the Earth. Pathfinder for an International Large Optical Telescope (PILOT) is a proposed 2 m telescope, to be built at Dome C in Antarctica, able to exploit these conditions for conducting astronomy at optical and infrared wavelengths. While PILOT is intended as a pathfinder towards the construction of future grand-design facilities, it will also be able to undertake a range of fundamental science investigations in its own right. This paper provides the performance specifications for PILOT, including its instrumentation. It then describes the kinds of projects that it could best conduct. These range from planetary science to the search for other solar systems, from star formation within the Galaxy to the star formation history of the Universe, and from gravitational lensing caused by exo-planets to that produced by the cosmic web of dark matter. PILOT would be particularly powerful for wide-field imaging at infrared wavelengths, achieving near diffraction-limited performance with simple tip–tilt wavefront correction. PILOT would also be capable of near diffraction-limited performance in the optical wavebands, as well be able to open new wavebands for regular ground-based observation, in the mid-IR from 17 to 40 μm and in the sub-millimetre at 200 μm.

The Gattini-DomeC project, part of the IRAIT site testing campaign and ongoing since January 2006, consists of two cameras for the measurement of optical sky brightness, large area cloud cover, and auroral detection above the DomeC site, home of the French-Italian Concordia station. The cameras are transit in nature and are virtually identical except for the nature of the lenses. The cameras have operated throughout the past two Antarctic winter seasons and here we present the results obtained from the 2006 winter-time dataset of the wide field “All-sky camera".

We have analysed publicly available MACHO observations of 6833 variable stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, classified as eclipsing binaries. After finding that a significant fraction of the sample was misclassified, we redetermined periods and variability class for all stars, producing a clean sample of 3031 eclipsing binaries. We have investigated their distribution in the period-color-luminosity space, which was used, for example, to assign a foreground probability to every object and establish new period-luminosity relations to selected types of eclipsing stars. We found that the orbital period distribution of LMC binaries is very similar to those of the SMC and the Milky Way. We have also determined the rate of period change for every star using the O-C method, discovering about 40 eclipsing binaries with apsidal motion, 45 systems with cyclic period changes and about 80 stars with parabolic O-C diagrams. In a few objects we discovered gradual amplitude variation, which can be explained by changes in the orbital inclination caused by a perturbing third body in the system.

We identify H2O, CO, SiO and CO2 bands in near-infrared ISO/SWS spectra of the RV Tau star R Sct. These molecules originate from an atmosphere around the photosphere. RV Tau stars are commonly considered as post-AGB stars. We argue that R Sct may be a thermal-pulsing AGB star, observed in a helium-burning phase.

MONS is a proposed space mission to study stellar oscillations. We briefly describe the main features of the mission – more details are available at the MONS Home Page (http://www.obs.aau.dk/MONS)

We used wavelets to investigate period and amplitude changes in Mira and semiregular variables and found a variety of behaviours. Period and amplitude changes often go together, perhaps because changes in amplitude are causing period changes via nonlinear effects.

α Circini is the brightest of the known rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars. Previous observations of this star in photometry (Kurtz et al. 1994) have shown that it has one dominant pulsation mode, which is a pure oblique dipole mode (ℓ = 1) with a frequency of 2442 μHz (P = 6.825 min). Kurtz et al. (1994) measured the amplitude of the principal mode to be 2.55 mmag (Strömgren v).

One of the observing modes available with the ESO Very Large Telescope will be coherent combination of the light received by up to four 8 m unit telescopes and several 1.8 m auxiliary telescopes. The location of the main telescopes is fixed, while auxiliary telescopes can be moved among some 30 observing stations. The locations of these stations were chosen to augment the (u, v) coverage of the unit telescopes as well as to function as an independent interferometric array.

The 8 m telescopes will be equipped with adaptive optics to correct for seeing-induced wavefront aberrations. This wavefront correction will be complete at near-infrared wavelengths, giving the interferometer very high sensitivity in this spectral regime. This paper gives a brief description of the VLT Interferometer and an update on its status.

MAPPIT (Masked APerture-Plane Interference Telescope) is an optical interferometer mounted at the coudé focus of the 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescope. The instrument, shown schematically in Fig. 1, uses a pupil mask with five apertures of diameter ≲r0. The apertures are arranged in a linear non-redundant array, with the spacings chosen to optimize the spatial frequency coverage (R. G. Marson, these Proceedings).