Magnetic fields in the nearby Universe, as observed in solar and planetary realms, stars, and interstellar starforming nurseries

Here I present a survey of planetary, stellar and clumpy interstellar magnetic fields, with an emphasis on discoveries made in the last decade. Ground-based and Earth-satellite observations of magnetic fields in astronomical objects are cataloged, as obtained at all multiple electromagnetic wavelengths. For each type of object, the basic observational properties are summarized, and the best theoretical scenario which accounts for the large body of observations is discussed. There is no single unifying magnetic model for all objects (although dynamo theory comes close for many compact objects, and helical theory for many extended objects). The strength of the observed magnetic fields reaches exagauss values (10(18) G) in compact objects such as magnetars, and decreases to microgauss values (10(-6) G) in the clumpy interstellar medium. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.