Related papers: The Binary Black Hole Model for Mrk 231 Bites the …

The lightcurve of PA-99-N2, one of the recently announced microlensing candidates towards M31, shows small deviations from the standard Paczynski form. We explore a number of possible explanations, including correlations with the seeing,…

We present rest-frame optical/near-infrared spectra of the gravitationally lense d quasar APM 08279+5255 at $z=3.91$ that has been taken using the Infrared Camera (IRC) onboard the AKARI infrared satellite. The observed continuum consists…

We report on a comprehensive X-ray spectral analysis of the nearby radio-quiet quasar MR 2251-178, based on the long-look (~ 400 ks) XMM-Newton observation carried out in November 2011. As the properties of the multiphase warm absorber…

Recent observations of quasars, Mrk 335 and the HST quasar composite spectrum, have indicated that many of them have remarkably soft ionizing continua (fnu ~ nu^-2.0, 13.6 eV -- 100 eV). We point out that the number of E > 54.4 eV photons…

Infrared observations of the dusty, massive Homunculus Nebula around the luminous blue variable $\eta$ Carinae are crucial to characterize the mass-loss history and help constrain the mechanisms leading to the Great Eruption. We present the…

SN2017egm is the closest (z=0.03) H-poor superluminous supernova (SLSN-I) detected to date, and a rare example of an SLSN-I in a massive and metal-rich galaxy. Here we present the HST UV & optical spectra covering (1000 - 5500)A taken at +3…

We present ALMA sub-kpc- to kpc-scale resolution observations of the [CII], CO(9-8), and OH$^{+}$\,($1_{1}$--$0_{1}$) lines along with their dust continuum emission toward the FIR luminous quasar SDSS J231038.88+185519.7 at $z = 6.0031$.…

Supermassive black hole binary systems (SMBHBs) are thought to emit the recently discovered nHz gravitational wave background; however, not a single individual nHz source has been confirmed to date. Long-term radio-monitoring at the Owens…

In a survey of quasar candidates selected by matching the FIRST and 2MASS catalogs, we have found two extraordinarily red quasars. FIRST J013435.7-093102 is a 1 Jy source at z=2.216 and has B-K > 10, while FIRST J073820.1+275045 is a 2.5…

The central kiloparsec of M81 has been observed in the CO(J=1-0) line and the 3 mm continuum at 100 pc resolution in an attempt to probe molecular gas, and to search for the nuclear inner Lindblad resonance (NILR), around the low-luminosity…

We present extinction curves derived from the broad emission lines and continua of large samples of both radio-loud and radio-quiet AGNs. The curves are significantly flatter in the UV than are curves for the local ISM. The reddening curves…

We discuss Subaru and Spitzer Space Telescope imaging and spectroscopy of M87 in the mid-infrared from 5-35 um. These observations allow us to investigate mid-IR emission mechanisms in the core of M87 and to establish that the flaring,…

The luminous electromagnetic emission from distant active galactic nuclei (AGNs) including quasars is believed to be powered by accretion onto super-massive black holes (SMBHs). In the standard unification model for AGNs a dusty torus…

In the black hole star (BH*) model, the characteristic "V"-shaped SED of LRDs is produced by an accreting BH embedded in a dense neutral-gas envelope with a near-unity covering factor. This envelope reprocesses radiation and emits as a…

Because most large galaxies contain a central black hole, and galaxies often merge, black-hole binaries are expected to be common in galactic nuclei. Although they cannot be imaged, periodicities in the light curves of quasars have been…

Preplanetary nebulae (PPNe) are formed from mass-ejecting late-stage AGB stars. Much of the light from the star gets scattered or absorbed by dust particles, giving rise to the observed reflection nebula seen at visible and near-IR…

The relative phasing of the X-ray eclipse ephemeris and optical radial velocity (RV) curve for the X-ray binary IC10 X-1 suggests the He[$\lambda$4686] emission-line originates in a shadowed sector of the stellar wind that avoids ionization…

The main purpose of this work is to improve the existing knowledge about the most powerful engines in the Universe - quasars. Although a lot is already known, we still have only a vague idea how these engines work exactly, why they behave…

The Andromeda galaxy (M31) hosts a central super-massive black hole (SMBH), known as M31$^\ast$, which is remarkable for its mass ($\sim$$10^8{\rm~M_\odot}$) and extreme radiative quiescence. Over the past decade, the Chandra X-ray…

We present imaging and spectro- polarimetric observations of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy IRAS P09104+4109 using the Keck 10-m Telescope. We detect the clear presence of broad Hb, Hg, and MgII 2800 emission lines in the polarized flux…