Related papers: Interstellar atoms, molecules and diffuse bands to…

Here we present previously unpublished optical spectra of supernova (SN) 2001ig, a Type IIb SN, from about a week after explosion until nearly one year later. The earliest spectrum consists of only a few broad absorption features, but soon…

We report the first spectroscopic observations of a background star seen through the region between the ionization front and the dissociation front of the nebula IC 63. This photodissociation region (PDR) exhibits intense extended red…

The early-time optical spectrum of the Type Ic supernova (SN) 2002ap was characterized by unusually broad features, leading some authors to designate it a "hypernova." We present optical spectropolarimetry of this object 16 and 37 days…

When the ejecta of supernovae interact with the progenitor star's circumstellar environment, a strong shock is driven back into the ejecta, causing the material to become bright optically and in X-rays. Most notably, as the shock traverses…

Aiming for a new and more comprehensive DIB catalog between 4,000 and 9,000{\AA}, we revisited the Atlas Catalog based on the observations of HD 183143 and HD 204827 (Hobbs et al. 2008 and 2009). Twenty-five medium-to-highly reddened sight…

We present photometry, spectra, and spectropolarimetry of supernova (SN) 2014ab, obtained through $\sim 200$ days after peak brightness. SN 2014ab was a luminous Type IIn SN ($M_V < -19.14$ mag) discovered after peak brightness near the…

We analyze the late time evolution of 12 supernovae (SNe) occurring over the last ${\sim}$41 years, including nine Type IIP/L, two IIb, and one Ib/c, using UBVR optical data from the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) and difference imaging.…

Diffuse interstellar bands are usually observed in spectra of hot stars, where interstellar lines are rarely blended with stellar ones. The need for hot stars is a strong limitation in the number of sightlines we can observe and the…

Because mass loss is a fundamental phenomenon in massive stars, interaction with circumstellar material (CSM) should be universal in core-collapse supernovae (SNe). Leaving aside the extreme CSM density, extent, or mass typically…

We present ultraviolet (UV) observations of six nearby Type~Ia supernovae (SNe~Ia) obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, three of which were also observed in the near-IR (NIR) with Wide-Field Camera~3. UV observations with the Swift…

We obtained the near-infrared (NIR) high-resolution ($R\equiv\lambda/\Delta\lambda\sim20,000$) spectra of the seven brightest early-type stars in the Cygnus OB2 association for investigating the environmental dependence of diffuse…

Spectroscopy is an important tool for providing insights into the structure of core-collapse supernova explosions. We use the Monte Carlo radiative transfer code ARTIS to compute synthetic spectra and light curves based on a two-dimensional…

We study, for the first time, the relations of two strong diffuse bands (DIBs) at 9633 and 9577~\AA, commonly attributed to C$_{60}^+$, to other interstellar features seen in optical and UV spectra including H{\sc i}, Ca{\sc i}, Fe{\sc ii},…

We present integrated optical spectrophotometry for a sample of 417 nearby galaxies. Our observations consist of spatially integrated, S/N=10-100 spectroscopy between 3600 and 6900 Angstroms at ~8 Angstroms FWHM resolution. In addition, we…

We report on our first results from a mid-infrared spectroscopic study of ISM features in a sample of deeply obscured ULIRG nuclei using the InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The spectra are extremely rich and…

We present ultraviolet/optical/near-infrared observations and modeling of Type II supernovae (SNe II) whose early-time ($\delta t < 2$ days) spectra show transient, narrow emission lines from shock ionization of confined ($r < 10^{15}$ cm)…

We searched for diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) in the 0.91$<\lambda<$1.33 $\mu$m region by analyzing the near-infrared (NIR) high-resolution ($R=20,000$ and 28,000) spectra of 31 reddened early-type stars ($0.04<E(B-V)<4.58$) and an…

We discuss the interstellar absorption from many atomic and molecular species seen in high-resolution $HST$/STIS UV and high-S/N optical spectra of the moderately reddened B3-5~V star HD~62542. This remarkable sight line exhibits both very…

We analyze mutual relations between interstellar extinction E(B-V) and column densities of diatomic molecules such as CN, CH and CH cation observed along translucent sightlines. Observational material acquired using five echelle…

We present photometry and spectroscopy of SN2013fs and SN2013fr in the first 100 days post-explosion. Both objects showed transient, relatively narrow H$\alpha$ emission lines characteristic of SNeIIn, but later resembled normal SNeII-P or…