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Neutron stars in Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs) can accrete matter onto their surface from the companion star. Transiently accreting neutron stars go through alternating phases of active accretion outbursts and quiescence. X-ray…
The method of weighted least squares is widely used in parameter estimation problems such as asteroid orbit determination. A key difficulty is the treatment of observational uncertainties, especially when combining heterogeneous datasets…
The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover has monitored the Martian environment in Gale crater since landing in 2012. This study reports the record of optical depth derived from visible and near-infrared images of the Sun. Aerosol optical…
Space weathering is an important surface process occurring on the Moon and other airless bodies, especially those that have no magnetic field. The optical effects of the Moon's space weathering have been largely investigated in the…
Very precise satellite photometry has revealed a large number of variable stars whose variability is caused either by surface spots or by binarity. Detailed studies of such variables provide insights into the physics of these objects. We…
BL Lacertae has been the target of four observing campaigns by the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT) collaboration. In this paper we present $UBVRI$ light curves obtained by the WEBT from 1994 to 2002, including the last, extended BL Lac…
We study the surface of Ceres at visible wavelengths, as observed by the Visible and InfraRed mapping spectrometer (VIR) onboard the Dawn spacecraft, and analyze the variations of various spectral parameters across the whole surface. We…
NASA's Dawn spacecraft observations of asteroid (4) Vesta reveal a surface with the highest albedo and color variation of any asteroid we have observed so far. Terrains rich in low albedo dark material (DM) have been identified using Dawn…
The proposed protoplanet AB Aur b is a spatially concentrated emission source imaged in the mm-wavelength disk gap of the Herbig Ae/Be star AB Aur. Its near-infrared spectrum and absence of strong polarized light have been interpreted as…
Semi-regular variables (SRVs) though closely related to Mira variables, are a less studied class of AGB stars. While asymmetry in the brightness distribution of many Mira variables is fairly well known, it is detected only in a few SRVs.…
Observations of Beta Lyr in four months of 2018 by three BRITE Constellation satellites (the red-filter BTr and BHr, and the blue-filter BLb) permitted a first, limited look into the light-curve variability in two spectral bands. The…
We propose that astronomers will be eventually be able to discriminate between extrasolar Earth-like planets with surface oceans and those without using the shape of phase light curves in the visible and near-IR spectrum. We model the…
We present photometric light curves for a sample of 21 ultra cool M and L dwarfs in the field and in the young open clusters sigma Orionis and the Pleiades. Evidence for variability with RMS amplitudes (in the I band) of 0.01 to 0.055…
After decades of searching, the true nature of dark matter still eludes us. One potential probe of the form of dark matter in galaxy clusters is to search for microlensing variability in the giant arcs and arclets. In this paper, a simple…
The ever-changing transparency of the Martian atmosphere hinders the determination of absolute surface colour from spacecraft images. While individual high-resolution images from low orbit reveal numerous colour details of the geology, the…
Polarimetry has the capacity to provide a unique probe of the surface properties of asteroids. Trends in polarization behavior as a function of wavelength trace asteroid regolith mineral properties that are difficult to probe without…
A proof of concept for a frost detection imager using reflected starlight is presented; the limitations of this technique are explored experimentally. An ice-covered lunar surface is simulated inside a vacuum chamber, which is then…
HST images, MUSE maps of emission-lines, and an atlas of high velocity resolution emission-line spectra have been used to establish for the firrst time correlations of the electron temperature, electron density, radial velocity, turbulence,…
The long-term optical and infrared color variability of blazars has been investigated with the SMARTS monitoring data. The sample in this study consists of 49 flat spectrum radio quasars and 22 BL Lac objects. The fractional variability…
Results of $UBVRIJHKLM$ photometry and $VRI$ polarimetry of a young star RW Aur A observed during unprecedented long and deep (up to $\Delta V \approx 5$ mag) dimming events in 2010-11 and 2014-18 are presented. The polarization degree $p$…