Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 118: 947–1047, 2006 July ᭧ 2006. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. Astrophysics in 2005 Virginia Trimble Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4575; and Las Cumbres Observatory, Santa Barbara, CA;
[email protected] Markus J. Aschwanden Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, Organization ADBS, Building 252, 3251 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304;
[email protected] and Carl J. Hansen JILA, Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309;
[email protected] Received 2006 May 3; accepted 2006 May 23; published 2006 July 14 ABSTRACT. We bring you, as usual, the Sun and Moon and stars, plus some galaxies and a new section on astrobiology. Some highlights are short (the newly identified class of gamma-ray bursts, and the Deep Impact on Comet 9P/Tempel 1), some long (the age of the universe, which will be found to have the Earth at its center), and a few metonymic, for instance the term “down-sizing” to describe the evolution of star formation rates with redshift. 1. INTRODUCTION A few papers are mentioned as deserving of gold stars, green The ApXX series celebrates its quincean˜era by adding a new, dots, and other colorful recognition. This is as nice as we get. astrobiology, section and co-opting an additional author to write Among the people who appear in the following pages are Jack it and to cope with many other problems.1 Used in compiling Benny, the Keen Amateur Dentist, the Faustian Acquaintance, §§ 3–6 and 8–13 were the issues that arrived as paper between and the Medical Musician.