Related papers: 2005 VL1 is not Venera-2
The first pulse-to-pulse observations of a neutron star glitch in the Vela pulsar identified a null pulse hinting at the sudden disruption of the neutron star's magnetosphere. The only physical model connecting the glitch and the null pulse…
We report on observations of the eclipsing binary 2MASS 19090585+4911585 with the 25 cm auxiliary telescope of the University Observatory Jena. We show that a nearby brighter star (2MASS 19090783+4912085) was previously misclassified as the…
The quest to discover exoplanets is one of the most important missions in astrophysics, and is widely performed using the transit method, which allows for the detection of exoplanets down to the size of Mercury. However, to confirm these…
Vela X-1 is the archetypical eclipsing high-mass X-ray binary, composed of a neutron star (NS) accreting the B-star wind. It was observed by nearly all X-ray observatories, often multiple times, featuring a rich spectrum of variable…
Up to now, most planet search projects have concentrated on F to K stars. In order to considerably widen the view, we have stated a survey for planets of old, nearby brown dwarfs and very low mass stars. Using UVES, we have observed 26…
We give an update of the observations and analysis of G2 - the gaseous red emission-line object that is on a very eccentric orbit around the Galaxy's central black hole and predicted to come within 2400 Rs in early 2014. During 2013, the…
Most of the objects in the trans-Neptunian belt (TNb) and related populations move in prograde orbits with low eccentricity and inclination. However, the list of icy minor bodies moving in orbits with an inclination above 40 deg. has…
We derive a new age for the Gamma^2 Velorum binary by comparing recent observations to our set of binary models. We find that it is very unlikely the stars have not interacted, which implies that previous estimates of the age from…
We compiled X-ray and Optical observations of the accreting X-ray binary system A 0535+262 since its discovery in 1975, that will allow us to shed light on the unpredictable behavior of this binary system. We present the data in terms of…
Very Long Baseline Interferometry is capable of measuring the gravitational delay caused by the Sun and planet gravitational fields. The post-Newtonian parameter $\gamma$ is now estimated with accuracy of $\sigma_{\gamma}=2\cdot 10^{-4}$…
Detailed orbit integrations of clones of five Centaurs -- namely, 1996 AR20, 2060 Chiron, 1995 SN55, 2000 FZ53 and 2002 FY36 -- for durations of 3 Myr are presented. One of our Centaur sample starts with perihelion initially under the…
The planetary ephemeris is an essential tool for interplanetary spacecraft navigation, studies of solar system dynamics (including, for example, barycenter corrections for pulsar timing ephemeredes), the prediction of occultations, and…
Short-period comet P/2010 H2 (Vales) underwent a significant outburst of $>7.5$~mag in 2010 and has not been detected since that apparition. Here we report our recovery attempt of P/Vales using the 4.3-m Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT)…
Parker Solar Probe (PSP) aims at exploring the nascent solar wind close to the Sun. Meanwhile, PSP is also expected to encounter small objects like comets and asteroids. In this work, we survey the ephemerides to find a chance of recent…
(Abridged) PSR J1357-6429 is a Vela-like radio pulsar that has been recently detected in X-rays and gamma-rays. It powers a compact tail-like X-ray pulsar wind nebula and X-ray-radio plerion associated with an extended TeV source HESS…
The G0V dwarf TrES-2A, which is transited by a hot Jupiter, is one of the main short-cadence targets of the Kepler telescope and, therefore, among the photometrically best-studied planetary systems known today. Given the near-grazing…
In an effort to measure the masses of planets discovered by the NASA {\it K2} mission, we have conducted precise Doppler observations of five stars with transiting planets. We present the results of a joint analysis of these new data and…
The erratic spin history of Vela X-1 shows some continuous spin-up/spin-down trend over tens of days. We study the orbital profile and spectral property of Vela X-1 in these spin-up/spin-down intervals, using the spin history monitored by…
Measurements in the atmosphere and at the surface of Venus are required to understand fundamental processes of how terrestrial planets evolve and how they work today. While the European Venus community is unified in its support of the…
On January 12 2006, the Hubble Space Telescope observed the peculiar double extragalactic object CSL-1, suspected to be the result of gravitational lensing by a cosmic string. The high resolution image shows that the object is actually a…