Related papers: The weather report from IRC+10216: Evolving irregu…
We report the results of a search for gas phase atomic metals in the circumstellar envelope of the AGB carbon star IRC+10216. The search was made using high resolution (R=50000) optical absorption spectroscopy of a backgound star that…
Spitzer Space Telescope IRAC 3-8 micron and AKARI IRC 2-4 micron photometry are reported for ten white dwarfs with photospheric heavy elements; nine relatively cool stars with photospheric calcium, and one hotter star with a peculiar high…
We investigate the nature of the innermost regions of seven circumstellar disks around pre-main-sequence stars. Our object sample contains disks apparently at various stages of their evolution. Both single stars and spatially resolved…
Observing objects in transition from pre- to young Planetary Nebula (PN), when the central star radiation starts to excite the envelope, can help us to understand the evolution of the circumstellar ejecta and their shaping mechanism/s. In…
The definition of nearby star systems is incomplete without an understanding of the dynamical interaction between the stars and ambient interstellar material. The Sun itself has been immersed in the Local Bubble interior void for millions…
We present new UBV photometric observations (2009-2024) of the carbon-rich post-AGB star IRAS 22272+5435 (V354 Lac), combined with our data spanning over 30 years (1991-2024). The star shows pulsations with two closely spaced periods, 127…
Multi-epoch infrared photometry from Spitzer is used to monitor circumstellar discs at white dwarfs, which are consistent with disrupted minor planets whose debris is accreted and chemically reflected by their host stars. Widespread…
We report on the detection of anhydrous hydrochloric acid (hydrogen chlorine, HCl) in the carbon-rich star IRC+10216 using the spectroscopic facilities onboard the Herschel satellite. Lines from J=1-0 up to J=7-6 have been detected. From…
Infrared surveys provide essential insights on galaxy evolution. If near-IR studies suggest mild evolution of stellar populations with cosmic time, indications of a substantial evolution have been seen in the far-IR, although the available…
With the recent discovery of transiting planetary material around WD 1145+017, a critical target has been identified that links the evolution of planetary systems with debris disks and their accretion onto the star. We present a series of…
Unbiased analysis shows that IRAS data reliably differentiate between the early and late stages of stellar evolution because objects at these stages clearly segregate in infrared color-color diagrams. Structure in these diagrams is…
We study the circumstellar environment of the carbon-rich star R Scl using the near- and mid-infrared high spatial resolution observations from the ESO-VLTI instruments VINCI and MIDI. These observations aim at increasing our knowledge of…
Images of the circumstellar ejecta associated with the post-red supergiant IRC +10420 show a complex ejecta with visual evidence for episodic mass loss. In this paper we describe the transverse motions of numerous knots, arcs and…
Classical Be stars are hot non-supergiant stars surrounded by a gaseous circumstellar disk that is responsible for the observed infrared (IR) excess and emission lines. The influence of binarity on these phenomena remains controversial. We…
We report the preliminary results of a survey for water vapor in a sample of eight C stars with large mid-IR continuum fluxes: V384 Per, CIT 6, V Hya, Y CVn, IRAS 15194-5115, V Cyg, S Cep, and IRC+40540. This survey, performed using the…
We report observations of the transiting extrasolar planet, HD 209458 b, designed to detect the secondary eclipse. We employ the method of `occultation spectroscopy', which searches in combined light (star and planet) for the disappearance…
We present an unbiased $\lambda$ 3 mm spectral line survey (between 84.5 and 115.8 GHz), conducted by the Purple Mountain Observatory 13.7 meter radio telescope, together with updated modeling results, towards the carbon-rich Asymptotic…
Our understanding of large amplitude pulsating stars and their status in stellar evolution is briefly reviewed. The paper then describes the near-infrared light curves of various asymptotic giant branch stars, concentrating on possible…
We present a catalog of 110 variable stars within ~1' of Sgr A* based on image subtraction of near-infrared (H and K) photometry. Our images were obtained over 133 nights from 2000--2002 in H-band and over 134 nights from 2001--2002 in…
We present results of an analysis of the optical spectrum of the post-AGB star HD56126 (IRAS 07134+1005) based on observations made with the echelle spectrographs of the 6-m telescope with spectral resolutions of R=25000 and 60000 at…