Related papers: Powering the Second 2012 Outburst of SN 2009ip by …
Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are characterized by ultra-relativistic outflows, while supernovae are generally characterized by non-relativistic ejecta. GRB afterglows decelerate rapidly usually within days, because their low-mass ejecta rapidly…
We present multi-epoch, multi-colour pre-outburst photometry and post-outburst light curves and spectra of the luminous blue variable (LBV) outburst Gaia16cfr discovered by the Gaia satellite on 1 December 2016. We detect Gaia16cfr in 13…
Type IIn supernovae (SNe) resembling SN 2009ip (09ip-like SNe) originate from the interaction between circumstellar material (CSM) and the ejecta. This subclass not only shares similar observational properties around the maximum, but is…
Outbursts in two classes of interacting binary systems, the symbiotic stars (SSs) and the cataclysmic variables (CVs), show a number of similarities in spite of very different orbital periods. Typical values for SSs are in the order of…
In early 2008, the young low-mass star EX Lupi, the prototype of the EXor class of eruptive variables, optically brightened by over five magnitudes for a period of 7 months. The previous time a change of such amplitude had been observed in…
We present photometry, spectra, and spectropolarimetry of supernova (SN) 2012ab, mostly obtained over the course of $\sim 300$ days after discovery. SN 2012ab was a Type IIn (SN IIn) event discovered near the nucleus of spiral galaxy…
SN 2014C was an unprecedented supernova (SN) that displayed a metamorphosis from Type Ib to Type IIn over $\sim$200 days. This transformation is consistent with a helium star having exploded in a cavity surrounded by a dense shell of the…
Neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes are the remnants of massive star explosions. Most massive stars reside in close binary systems, and the interplay between the companion star and the newly formed compact object has been…
We reconstruct the evolution of Eta Carinae in the last two centuries, under the assumption that the two 19th century eruptions were triggered by periastron passages, and by that constrain the binary parameters. The beginning of the Lesser…
The nebular-epoch spectrum of the rapidly declining, "transitional" type Ia supernova (SN) 2007on showed double emission peaks, which have been interpreted as indicating that the SN was the result of the direct collision of two white…
We present an extensive set of photometric and spectroscopic data for SN 2009jf, a nearby Type Ib supernova, spanning from ~20 days before B-band maximum to one year after maximum. We show that SN 2009jf is a slow evolving and energetic…
The observation of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) associated with a supernova (SN) coincides remarkably with the energy output from a binary system comprising a very massive carbon-oxygen (CO) core and an associated binary neutron star (NS) by the…
The Type IIn supernova (SN) 2005ip is one of the most well-studied and long-lasting examples of a SN interacting with its circumstellar environment. The optical light curve plateaued at a nearly constant level for more than five years,…
We report photometry of three outbursts of NN Cam in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The 2007 event started with a normal outburst, lasting about 4 days, which was a precursor to a superoutburst lasting at least 13 days. Both the precursor and the…
We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of the gamma-ray burst GRB 021211 obtained during the late stages of its afterglow. The light curve shows a rebrightening occurring ~25 days after the GRB. The analysis of a VLT spectrum…
I review recent progress on understanding eruptions of unstable massive stars, with particular attention to the diversity of observed behavior in extragalatic optical transient sources that are generally associated with giant eruptions of…
We report extensive 3-yr multiwavelength observations of the WZ Sge-type dwarf nova SSS J122221.7-311525 during its unusual double superoutburst, the following decline and in quiescence. The second segment of the superoutburst had a long…
We present optical and near-infrared observations of a low-luminosity Type IIP supernova (SN) 2016bkv from the initial rising phase to the plateau phase. Our observations show that the end of the plateau is extended to $\gtrsim 140$ days…
We investigate the environment of the nearby (d ~ 40Mpc) broad-lined Type Ic supernova SN 2009bb. This event was observed to produce a relativistic outflow likely powered by a central accreting compact object. While such a phenomenon was…
The nature of the progenitors of SNe Ia is not yet fully understood. In the single-degenerate (SD) scenario, the collision of the SN ejecta with its companion star is expected to produce detectable UV emission in the first few days after…