Related papers: Type II intermediate-luminosity optical transients…
We present Hubble Space Telescope imaging confirming the optical disappearance of the failed supernova (SN) candidate identified by Gerke et al. (2015). This $\sim 25~M_{\odot}$ red supergiant experienced a weak $\sim 10^{6}~L_{\odot}$…
The Epoch of Reionization (EoR) represents a milestone in the evolution of our Universe. Star-forming galaxies that existed during the EoR likely emitted a significant fraction (~5-40%) of their bolometric luminosity as Lyman Alpha (Lya)…
For the past decade, it has been suggested that intermediate polars (IPs), a subclass of magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs), are one of the main contributors to the hard diffuse X-ray emission from the Galactic center (GC) and Galactic…
We present a comprehensive analysis of the optical and infrared (IR) properties of high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) IC 10 X-2, classified as a super-giant HMXB and super-fast X-ray transient (SFXT) by previous work. Our analysis of regular…
We present new MUSE/VLT observations of a small globule in the Carina H II region that hosts the HH 900 jet+outflow system. Data were obtained with the GALACSI ground-layer adaptive optics system in wide-field mode, providing…
It has been well established from a variety of observations that red supergiants (RSGs) loose a lot of mass in stellar wind. Dust formed in this emitted gas over a few decades before core-collapse can lead to substantial extinction and…
We calculate the emission line spectrum produced by the debris released when a white dwarf (WD) is tidally disrupted by an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH; $M\sim 10^{2}-10^{5}\msun$) and we explore the possibility of using the emission…
As part of the VLT/X-shooter science verification, we obtained the first optical medium-resolution spectrum of a previously identified bright O-type object in NGC55, an LMC-like galaxy at a distance of \sim2.0 Mpc. Based on the stellar and…
We present a detailed NIR/optical/UV study of the transient low mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9-342058 performed during its 2015 outburst, aimed at determining the nature of its companion star. We obtained three optical spectra at the 2.1…
We present extensive datasets for a class of intermediate-luminosity optical transients known as "luminous red novae" (LRNe). They show double-peaked light curves, with an initial rapid luminosity rise to a blue peak (at -13 to -15 mag),…
High rates of stable mass transfer (MT) occur for some binary star systems, resulting in luminous transients and circumbinary outflows (CBOs). We perform hydrodynamical simulations of a $10 \ M_\odot$ donor star and a $5\ M_\odot$ point…
Energetic nuclear outbursts have been discovered in luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) at unexpectedly high rates. To investigate this population of transients, we performed a search in mid-IR data from the Wide-field…
We have detected a transient X-ray source in the M31 bulge through a continuing monitoring campaign with the Chandra ACIS-I camera. The source was detected at R.A.=00:42:33.428 +/- 0.11'', Dec.=+41:17:03.37 +/- 0.11'' in only a single…
SuWt2 is a planetary nebula (PN) consisting of a bright ionized thin ring seen nearly edge-on. It has a bright (V=12) central star, too cool to ionize the PN, which we discovered to be an eclipsing binary. A spectrum from IUE did not reveal…
We present optical follow-up of IGR J16194-2810, a hard X-ray source discovered by the INTEGRAL mission. The optical counterpart is a $\sim500\,L_\odot$ red giant at a distance of $2.1$ kpc. We measured 17 radial velocities (RVs) of the…
The new transient IGR 16358-4726 was discovered on 2003 March 19 with INTEGRAL. We detected the source serendipitously during our 2003 March 24 observation of SGR 1627-41 with the Chandra X-ray Observatory at the 1.7 x 10^{-10} ergs s^{-1}…
Supergiant Fast X-ray transients are a subclass of high mass X-ray binaries displaying a peculiar and still poorly understood extreme variability in the X-ray domain. These sources undergo short sporadic outbursts (LX ~ 10^36 - 10^37…
We perform a systematic study of how the inhomogeneities in the Inter-Galactic Medium (IGM) affect the observability of Lyman Alpha Emitters (LAEs) around the Epoch of Reionization. We focus on the IGM close to the galaxies as the detailed…
The detection of Interstellar Objects passing through the Solar System offers the promise of constraining the physical and chemical processes involved in planetary formation in other extrasolar systems. While the effect of outgassing by…
A new type of high-energy binary system has been revealed by the INTEGRAL satellite. These sources are being unveiled by means of multi-wavelength optical, near- and mid-infrared observations. Among these sources, two distinct classes are…