Related papers: The supergiant B[e] star LHA 115-S 18 - binary and…

Owing to their similarities with giant exoplanets, brown dwarf companions of stars provide insights into the fundamental processes of planet formation and evolution. From their orbits, several brown dwarf companions are found to be more…

We report late-time spectroscopic observations of the Type IIn SN 1998S, taken 14 years after explosion using the Large Binocular Telescope. The optical spectrum exhibits broad emission features of [O I], [O II], [O III], H-alpha, H-beta,…

We investigate the infrared (IR) properties of cool, evolved stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), including the red giant branch (RGB) stars and the dust-producing red supergiant (RSG) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars using…

Hot subdwarf stars (sdO/Bs) are the stripped cores of red giants located at the bluest extension of the horizontal branch. They constitute the dominant population of UV-bright stars in old stellar environments and are most likely formed by…

A new class of X-ray binaries has been recently discovered by the high energy observatory, INTEGRAL. It is composed of intrinsically obscured supergiant high mass X-ray binaries, unveiled by means of multi-wavelength X-ray, optical, near-…

We have obtained infrared spectra of the star suggested to be the counterpart of the soft gamma-ray repeater (SGR) 1806-20. We found strong emission lines similar to those seen in the spectra of the rare Luminous Blue Variables and B[e]…

The masses of compact objects like white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes are fundamental to astrophysics, but very difficult to measure. We present the results of an analysis of subluminous B (sdB) stars in close binary systems with…

The appearance of the B[e] phenomenon in evolved massive stars such as B[e] supergiants is still a mystery. While these stars are generally found to have disks that are cool and dense enough for efficient molecule and dust condensation, the…

Although the association of gamma-ray bursts with massive stellar death is on firm footing, the nature of the progenitor system and the key ingredients required for a massive star to produce a gamma-ray burst remain open questions. Here, we…

To study the variability of the 523 B and Be stars observed in the Magellanic clouds with the VLT-FLAMES, we cross-matched the stars of our sample with the photometric database MACHO, which provides for each star an 8 years lightcurve. We…

V348 Sgr is simultaneously an active hot R Coronae Borealis (RCB) variable, a peculiar extreme helium star, and the hydrogen-deficient central star of a planetary nebula. Explaining the RCB-type variability has been difficult since the star…

We have identified a star in the WASP archive photometry with an unusual lightcurve due to the total eclipse of a small, hot star by an apparently normal A-type star and with an orbital period of only 0.668d. From an analysis of the WASP…

S106 is one of the best known bipolar HII regions, thoroughly studied and modelled at infrared, submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths, and it is one of the nearest examples of the late stages of massive star formation in which the newly…

High-dispersion spectroscopic observations are used to refine orbital elements for the symbiotic binary CH Cyg. The current radial velocities, added to a previously published 13 year time series of infrared velocities for the M giant in the…

We present new spectroscopic observations that are part of our continuing monitoring campaign of 88 quasars at z<0.7 whose broad H$\beta$ lines are offset from their systemic redshifts by a few thousand km/s. These quasars have been…

Eta Carinae is the nearest example of a supermassive, superluminous, unstable star. Mass loss from the system is critical in shaping its circumstellar medium and in determining its ultimate fate. Eta Car currently loses mass via a dense,…

Using the archives of the American Association of Variable Stars Observers and our own data, we analyse the long-term variability of several well-studied Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) aiming on a general picture of stochastic variability…

WZ Sge-type dwarf novae form one of the most intriguing classes of compact accreting binaries. They are recognized as the most evolved population of hydrogen-rich cataclysmic variables. Yet they exhibit energetic disk-powered outbursts with…

We study the brightness variations of galactic red supergiant stars using long-term visual light curves collected by the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) over the last century. The full sample contains 48 red…

Pulsation is believed to be the leading cause of dusty mass loss from Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars. We present a temporal study of T Cep, a long-period Mira variable, using seven ISO SWS spectra, covering a 16-month period over a…