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Evidence is presented indicating that the young star cluster Westerlund~2 lies $d_{\odot}\sim3.0$ kpc in the direction of Carina. The distance is tied partly to new $UBVRI_c$ photometry and revised spectral classifications for cluster…
Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions in the Universe. They appear connected to supernova remnants from massive stars or the merger of their remnants, and their brightness makes them temporarily detectable out to the larges…
A new component of the Universe which leads to an accelerated cosmic expansion is found from the measurements of distances to high-redshift type Ia supernovae. We describe the method and the results obtained from the observations of distant…
Using the latest generation of adaptive optics imaging systems together with laser guide stars on 8m-class telescopes, we are finally revealing the previously-hidden population of supernovae in starburst galaxies. Finding these supernovae…
Neutrinos are the second most abundant particles in the universe according to the Standard Model, yet they are the least likely to interact. This feature implies that detecting a neutrino can reveal valuable insights into its source. Among…
Supernova blasts envelop many surrounding stellar systems, transferring kinetic energy to small bodies in the systems. Geologic evidence from $^{60}\rm Fe$ points to recent nearby supernova activity within the past several Myr. Here, we…
The distance to the fireworks galaxy NGC 6946 is highly uncertain. Recent distance estimates using the tip of the red giant branch of 7.7 to 7.8 Mpc are larger than the distance commonly assumed for studying supernovae in this galaxy of 5.9…
We report the discovery of a confirmed supernova (SN) and a supernova-candidate in near-infrared images from the ALTAIR/NIRI adaptive optics system on the Gemini-North Telescope and NICMOS on the Hubble Space Telescope. The Gemini images…
Supernova 1987A became a milestone in physics and astronomy. The most important things that have been learned from it, the most important problems yet to be solved and the prospects for learning important new physics from future…
Supernovae can produce vast fluxes of new particles with masses on the MeV scale, a mass scale of interest for models of light dark matter. When these new particles become diffusively trapped within the supernova, the escaping flux will…
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is the latest observational effort to find exoplanets and map bright transient optical phenomena. Supernovae (SN) are particularly interesting as cosmological standard candles for…
Observations of intensely bright star-forming galaxies both close by and in the distant Universe at first glance seem to emphasize their similarity. But look a little closer, and differences emerge.
We have previously shown that spherically symmetric, inhomogeneous universe models can explain both the supernova data and the location of the first peak in the CMB spectrum without resorting to dark energy. In this work, we investigate…
While existing detectors would see a burst of many neutrinos from a Milky Way supernova, the supernova rate is only a few per century. As an alternative, we propose the detection of ~ 1 neutrino per supernova from galaxies within 10 Mpc, in…
We show that the dipole of the luminosity distance is a useful observational tool which allows us to determine the Hubble parameter as a function of the redshift H(z). We determine the number of supernovae needed to achieve a given…
The planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF) has been used as an extragalactic distance indicator since the 1980's, but there are still unsolved problems associated with its use. One of the most serious involves PNLF distances beyond ~…
Recent observations of high redshift Supernovae at lower than expected value of the Hubble constant, widely interpreted as an evidence for accelerating expansion of the Universe, could alternatively be explained assuming a hyperbolic…
We discuss the signature of a peculiar constellation of very massive stars at a projected distance of 2-3 pc around R136a. We discuss various scenarios for its possible origin, such as independent clusters, triggered star formation,…
We report far-infrared and submillimeter observations of Supernova 1987A, the star that exploded on February 23, 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy located 160,000 lightyears away. The observations reveal the presence of a…
Over a decade ago, a group of supernova explosions with peak luminosities far exceeding (often by >100) those of normal events, has been identified. These superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) have been a focus of intensive study. I review the…