Related papers: DT Serpentis: neither a symbiotic star nor a plane…
Our understanding of planetary nebulae has been significantly enhanced as a result of several recent large surveys (Parker et al., these proceedings). These new discoveries suggest that the `PN phenomenon' is in fact more heterogeneous than…
HD 149427 is a very enigmatic object. It has been classified either as a planetary nebula or as a D'-type symbiotic star. Its distance is also highly uncertain. Furthermore, HD 149427 is a potential jet source. We report the non-detection…
Symbiotic stars are strongly interacting binaries, consisting of a white dwarf and a cool giant, mainly of spectral type M. AG Draconis belongs to a less numerous group of the yellow symbiotic systems, as the cool component in this binary…
We have surveyed Kepler's supernova remnant in search of the companion star of the explosion. We have gone as deep as 2.6 solar luminosities in the stars within 20% of the radius of the remnant. We use FLAMES at the VLT-UT2 telescope to…
Symbiotic star (SySt) is long-period interacting binary system, typically consisting of a white dwarf and a red giant surrounded by a nebula. These systems are natural astrophysical laboratories for investigating binary star evolution. In…
We show that there are strong links between certain types of asymmetrical Planetary Nebulae (PNe) and symbiotic stars. Symbiotics are binaries and several have extended optical nebulae all of which are asymmetrical and ~-40% are bipolar.…
This paper reviews current knowledge of symbiotic binaries, with special emphasis on their multifrequency observational characteristics, and basic parameters of the symbiotic system components. We start with a brief presentation of variable…
We present contemporaneous HST WFPC2 and VLA observations of the symbiotic nova HM Sge. We identify a number of discreet features at spatial scales smaller than approximately 0.1 arcsec embedded in the extended nebula, with radio and…
We have collected continuum data of a sample of D-type symbiotic stars. By modelling their spectral energy distribution in a colliding-wind theoretical scenario we have found the common characteristics to all the systems: 1) at least two…
We present an analysis of recent X-ray observations of the symbiotic star AG Peg. The X-ray emission of AG Peg as observed with Swift in 2015 shows considerable variability on time scale of days as variability on shorter time scales might…
The transition from Asymptotic Giant Branch star to Planetary Nebula is short-lived and mysterious. Though it lasts only a few thousand years, it is thought to be the time when the asymmetries observed in subsequent phases arise. During…
Any white dwarf or neutron star that accretes enough material from a red giant companion, such that this interaction can be detected at some wavelength, is currently termed Symbiotic Star (typical P(orb)=2-3 years). In the majority of ~400…
We present a new synthetic model to follow the evolution of a planetary nebula (PN) and its central star, starting from the onset of AGB phase up to the white dwarf cooling sequence. The model suitably combines various analytical…
We argue that relative to non-spherical planetary nebulae (PNs), spherical PNs are about an order of magnitude less likely to be detected, at distances of several kiloparsecs. Noting the structure similarity of halos around non-spherical…
We present new estimates of the basic stellar parameters of the non-eruptive, eclipsing symbiotic system, RW Hydrae. A set of photometric and spectroscopic data was used to model this object simultaneously from the light and radial velocity…
We recently reported on the detection of a possible planetary-mass companion to Beta Pictoris at a projected separation of 8 AU from the star, using data taken in November 2003 with NaCo, the adaptive-optics system installed on the Very…
We have detected 2 circumbinary planets around the close binary system NN Serpentis using the orbital time delay effect measured via the sharp eclipses of the white dwarf primary. The present pre-cataclysmic binary was formed when the…
We present the analysis of archival XMM-Newton observations of the symbiotic stars HM Sge, NQ Gem, and PU Vul. The EPIC-pn spectra hint at the presence of emission lines, which are further confirmed in the 1st order RGS spectra of the three…
The shaping of the nebula is currently one of the outstanding unsolved problems in planetary nebula (PN) research. Several mechanisms have been proposed, most of which require a binary companion. However, direct evidence for a binary…
While symbiotic Miras and planetary nebulae are hard to distinguish by optical spectroscopy, their near infrared colors differ. We propose the near infrared two-color diagram to be an excellent tool to easily distinguish these two classes…