Related papers: Data-driven Discovery of Diffuse Interstellar Band…

There has been a renewed interest in searching for diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) due to their probable connection to organic molecules and, thus, their possible link to life in the Universe. Our group is undertaking an extensive search…

With the advent of all-sky H-Alpha surveys it is possible to determine a reliable free-free template of the diffuse interstellar medium (Dickinson, Davies & Davis 2003) which can be used in conjunction with the synchrotron and dust…

We compare data from the Diffuse InfraRed Background Experiment (DIRBE) on the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite to the the Wainscoat et al. (1992) model of the infrared sky. The model is first compared with broadband K (2.2…

We present 0.5 -160 micron Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) of galaxies, detected at 70microns with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS), using broadband imaging data from Spitzer and ground-based telescopes.…

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…

The Diffuse InfraRed Background Experiment on COBE measured the total infrared signal seen from space at a distance of 1 astronomical unit from the Sun. Using time variations as the Earth orbits the Sun, it is possible to remove most of the…

A review is presented of the most relevant results obtained in the last few years on this rare class of astronomical sources. Multi-wavelength analysis of an increasing number of post-AGB stars reveal that they constitute a more…

Stellar streams are sensitive probes of the Milky Way's gravitational potential. The mean track of a stream constrains global properties of the potential, while its fine-grained surface density constrains galactic substructure. A precise…

In this paper we present Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectroscopy for 14 intermediate-mass young stellar objects. We use Spitzer spectroscopy to investigate the physical properties of these sources and their environments. Our sample can…

The cosmic infrared background (CIB) radiation was a long-sought fossil of energetic processes associated with structure formation and chemical evolution since the Big Bang. The COBE Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) and Far…

Three-dimensional maps of the Galactic interstellar medium are general astrophysical tools. Reddening maps may be based on the inversion of color excess measurements for individual target stars or on statistical methods using stellar…

Using a radiative transfer code (DUSTY) parameters of the circumstellar dust shells of 15 hot post-AGB stars have been derived. Combining the optical, near and far-infrared (ISO, IRAS) data of the stars, we have reconstructed their spectral…

We study the effects of local environmental conditions affecting the diffuse interstellar band (DIB) carriers within the Upper Scorpius subgroup of the Sco OB2 association. We obtained optical spectra with FEROS, and measured the equivalent…

We have assessed how well stellar parameters (T_eff, logg and [Fe/H]) can be retrieved from low-resolution dispersed images to be obtained by the DIVA satellite. Although DIVA is primarily an all-sky astrometric mission, it will also obtain…

We present the Infrared Database of Extragalactic Observables from Spitzer (IDEOS), a homogeneous, publicly available, database of 77 fitted mid-infrared observables in the 5.4-36um range, comprising measurements for 3335 galaxies observed…

Extragalactic astronomy relies on the accurate estimation of source photometry corrected for Milky Way dust extinction. This has motivated the creation of a number of "Galactic" dust maps. We investigate whether these maps are contaminated…

Stellar parameters for large samples of stars play a crucial role in constraining the nature of stars and stellar populations in the Galaxy. An increasing number of medium-band photometric surveys are presently used in estimating stellar…

A critical review of the very long-standing problem of the diffuse interstellar bands is presented with emphasis on spectroscopic aspects of observational, modelling and laboratory-based research. Some research themes and ideas that could…

The sub-millimetre dust opacity spectral index is a critical observable to constrain dust properties, such as the maximum grain size of an observed dust population. It has been widely measured at galactic scales and down to protoplanetary…

We present Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) spectra of fourteen isolated Herbig Ae/Be (HAEBE) stars, to study the characteristics of their circumstellar dust. These spectra show large star-to-star differences, in the emission features of…