Related papers: The long Galactic bar as seen by UKIDSS Galactic P…
This paper presents an investigation of the outer disk structure by using data from a recent release of the 2 micron sky survey (2MASS). This 2MASS data show unambiguously that the stellar disk thickens with increasing distance from the…
We analyse a sample of 507 evolved stars in the inner galactic Plane. We derive average ages for subsets of this sample and use those sets as beacons for the evolution of the Galaxy. In the Bulge the oldest OH/IR stars in the plane are 7.5…
The Milky Way has a giant stellar structure in the solar neighborhood, which has a size of $\sim 1$ kpc, a mass of $\sim 10^6 {\rm M}_{\odot}$, and a ring-like distribution of young stars. Fundamental physical properties of this local…
(Abridged) We derive the structure of the Galactic stellar Warp and Flare using 2MASS RC and RGB stars, selected at mean heliocentric distances of 3, 7 and 17 kpc. Our results are: (i) a clear stellar warp signature is derived for the 3…
In a large scale view of the universe, galaxies are the basic unit of structure. A typical bright galaxy may contain 100 billion stars and span tens of thousands of light years, but the empty expanses between the galaxies are much larger…
The gross features in the distribution of stars as well as warm (T >~ 100 K) interstellar dust in the Galactic disk have been investigated using the recent mid infrared survey by Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) at 8, 12, 14 & 21 micron…
Our Milky Way Galaxy is a typical large spiral galaxy, representative of the most common morphological type in the local Universe. We can determine the properties of individual stars in unusual detail, and use the characteristics of the…
We use the Herschel Hi-GAL survey data to study the spatial distribution in Galactic longitude and latitude of the interstellar medium and of dense, star-forming clumps in the inner Galaxy. The peak position and width of the latitude…
This study explores the density profile of the stellar disk, radially and azimuthally, based on approximately 8.4 million red clump stars selected from Gaia Bp/Rp spectra. After correcting for selection effects and distance uncertainties,…
We identify new structures in the halo of the Milky Way Galaxy from positions, colors and magnitudes of five million stars detected in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Most of these stars are within 1.26 degrees of the celestial equator. We…
A number of recent studies have claimed that the double red clump (RC) observed in the Milky Way bulge is a consequence of a giant X-shaped structure. In particular, Ness & Lang (2016) reported a direct detection of a faint X-shaped…
Our Galaxy, the Milky Way, is a benchmark for understanding disk galaxies. It is the only galaxy whose formation history can be studied using the full distribution of stars from white dwarfs to supergiants. The oldest components provide us…
(abridged) In this paper we revisit the problem of inferring the innermost structure of the Milky Way's nuclear star cluster via star counts, to clarify whether it displays a core or a cusp around the central black hole. Through image…
We present survey data in the narrow-band L filter (nbL), taken at UKIRT, for a total area of 277 square arcmin, roughly equally divided between four regions at zero Galactic latitude and longitudes +-4.3 deg and +-2.3 deg. The 80%…
A vertical X-shaped structure was recently reported in the Galactic bulge. Here we present evidence of a similar X-shaped structure in the Shen et al. (2010) bar/boxy bulge model that simultaneously matches the stellar kinematics…
Context. The ZOA does not allow clear optical observations of extragalactic sources behind the Milky Way due to the meaningful extinction of the optical emission of these objects. The observations in NIR wavelengths represent a potential…
Evidence for a bar at the center of the Milky Way triggered a renewed enthusiasm for dynamical modelling of the Galactic bar-bulge. Our goal is to compare the kinematics of a sample of tracers, planetary nebulae, widely distributed over the…
A new method for selecting stars in the Galactic bar based on 2MASS infrared photometry in combination with stellar proper motions from the Kharkiv XPM catalogue has been implemented. In accordance with this method, red clump and red giant…
We present detailed JHK surface photometry with ellipse fits of 13 galaxies selected from previous optical observations as likely candidates for having a secondary bar or a triaxial bulge within the primary bar. We have found 7…
We have observed 60 edge-on galaxies in the NIR in order to study the stellar distribution in galaxies with box/peanut-shaped bulges. The much smaller amount of dust extinction at these wavelengths allows us to identify in almost all target…