Related papers: Stellar Dynamics and the implications on the merge…
We present 3-5 micron spectroscopy of the interacting system NGC 6240, showing the presence of two active galactic nuclei. The brightest (southern) nucleus shows up with a starburst-like emission, with a prominent 3.3 micron emission…
Differential K-band luminosity functions (LFs) are presented for a complete sample of 1613 nearby bright galaxies segregated by visible morphology. The LF for late-type spirals follows a power law that rises towards low luminosities whereas…
Aims. The extraplanar stellar populations of highly-inclined disk galaxies IC 2233, IC 5052, NGC 4631 and NGC 5023 are analyzed with the goal to quantify their vertical extent and structure. Methods. Based on the single-star photometry, we…
I review recent results from our deep ROSAT and Chandra observations of two galaxies, M101 and NGC 4631, in fields of exceptionally low Galactic extinction. Large amounts of X-ray-emitting gas are detected in these galaxies. Such gas is…
We investigate the triggering mechanism and the structural properties of obscured luminous active galactic nuclei from a detailed study of the rest-frame $B$ and $I$ HST images of 29 nearby ($z\approx 0.04-0.4$) optically selected type 2…
The massive (13,000-26,000 Msolar), young (15-30 Myr) Large Magellanic Cloud star cluster NGC 1818 reveals an unexpected increasing binary frequency with radius for F-type stars (1.3-2.2 Msolar). This is in contrast to many older star…
A candidate diffuse stellar substructure was previously reported in the halo of the nearby dwarf starburst galaxy NGC 4449 by Karachentsev et al. We map and analyze this feature using a unique combination of deep integrated-light images…
We present the results of spectroscopic observations of three S0-Sa galaxies: NGC338, NGC 3245, and NGC 5440 at the SAO RAS 6-m BTA telescope. The radial distributions of the line-of-sight velocities and radial velocity dispersions of stars…
Disky bulges in spiral galaxies are commonly thought to form out of disk materials (mainly) via bar driven secular processes, they are structurally and dynamically distinct from `classical bulges' built in violent merger events. We use…
J, H, and K' images obtained with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope adaptive optics system are used to investigate the star-forming histories of the central regions of the Sc galaxies NGC 247 and NGC 2403. The brightest resolved red stars…
Recent observations of the Galactic center revealed a nuclear disk of young OB stars near the massive black hole (MBH), in addition to many similar outlying stars with higher eccentricities and/or high inclinations relative to the disk…
We employ the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility's near-infrared spectrograph SpeX at 0.8-2.4$\mu$m to investigate the spatial distribution of the stellar populations (SPs) in four well known Starburst galaxies: NGC34, NGC1614, NGC3310 and…
In order to examine the relative importance of powerful starbursts and Compton-thick AGNs in NGC 6240, we have obtained mid-infrared images and low-resolution spectra of the galaxy with sub-arcsecond spatial resolution using the Keck…
The two edge-on galaxies NGC891 and NGC7814 are representative of two extreme morphologies: the former is disk-dominated while the latter is almost entirely bulge-dominated. It has been argued (van der Kruit 1983) that since the two…
We analyse new H-band integral-field unit observations of two galaxies at ~4 Mpc, using a principal components analysis of pixel spectra to probe their giant star content. In both galaxies, the signals arise in near-resolved point-like…
NGC 6441 is one of the most massive and most metal-rich globular clusters in the galaxy, and is noted for an unusual extended horizontal branch which reaches past the instability strip. We find evidence that there are two different…
We present a detailed investigation of the radial distribution of blue straggler star and binary populations in the Galactic globular cluster NGC 5466, over the entire extension of the system. We used a combination of data acquired with the…
Observations reveal that mature spiral galaxies consist of stars, gases and plasma approximately distributed in a thin disk of circular shape, usually with a central bulge. The rotation velocities quickly increase from the galactic center…
We explore the dynamics of stellar discs in the close vicinity of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) by means of direct $N$-body simulations. We show that an isolated nuclear stellar disc exhibits anisotropic mass segregation meaning that…
Lenticular galaxies (S0s) represent the majority of early-type galaxies in the local Universe, but their formation channels are still poorly understood. While galaxy mergers are obvious pathways to suppress star formation and increase bulge…