Related papers: The DIRECT Project
Distances measured using Cepheid variable stars have been essential for establishing the cosmological distance scale and the value of the Hubble constant. These stars have remained the primary extragalactic distance indicator since 1929…
We report on the discovery of three new dwarf galaxies in the Local Group. These galaxies are found in new CFHT/MegaPrime g,i imaging of the south-western quadrant of M31, extending our extant survey area to include the majority of the…
As the first step to determine disk mass-to-light ratios for normal spiral galaxies, we present the results of an imaging survey for planetary nebulae (PNe) in six nearby, face-on systems: IC 342, M74 (NGC 628), M83 (NGC 5236), M94 (NGC…
We investigate a possible close encounter between M33 and M31 in the past to understand the role of galaxy-galaxy interactions in shaping the matter distribution in galaxy outskirts. We recovered possible orbital trajectories of M33, M31…
Recent progress on Baade-Wesselink (BW)-type techniques to determine the distances to classical Cepheids is reviewed. Particular emphasis is placed on the near-infrared surface-brightness (IRSB) version of the BW method. Its most recent…
A question that continues to perplex astronomers is the formation of tight stellar binaries. There is too much angular momentum in a collapsing and fragmenting protostellar cloud to form a stellar binary in situ with a separation less than…
Cepheid masses are particularly necessary to help solving the mass discrepancy, while independent distance determinations provide crucial test of the period-luminosity relation and Gaia parallaxes. We used CHARA/MIRC to measure the…
Pixel lensing is gravitational microlensing of unresolved stars. The main target explored up to now has been the nearby galaxy of Andromeda, M31. The scientific issues of interest are the search for dark matter in form of compact halo…
Distance transformation is an image processing technique used for many different applications. Related to a binary image, the general idea is to determine the distance of all background points to the nearest object point (or vice versa). In…
The wide-field CCD camera at the CFH telescope was used to survey the giant stellar stream in the Andromeda galaxy, resolving stars down the red giant branch in M31 to I ~ 25, a magnitude deeper than our previous INT survey of this galaxy…
The physical characterization of exoplanets will require to take spectra at several orbital positions. For that purpose, a direct imaging capability is necessary. Direct imaging requires an efficient stellar suppression mechanism,…
Gravitational waves detected from well-localized inspiraling binaries would allow us to determine, directly and independently, binary luminosity and redshift. In this case, such systems could behave as "standard candles" providing an…
Classical Cepheids are blue loop stars that have famously been dubbed "magnifying glasses of stellar evolution" and have been studied for a long time. As more and more precise observations of Cepheids are secured over ever-increasing…
We report on the first results of a long-term project to derive distances of galaxies at cosmological distances by applying the CO-line width-luminosity relation. We have obtained deep CO-line observations of galaxies at redshifts up to…
The DECam Ecliptic Exploration Project (DEEP) is a deep survey of the trans-Neptunian solar system being carried out on the 4-meter Blanco telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam).…
Direct imaging of exoplanetary systems is a powerful technique that can reveal Jupiter-like planets in wide orbits, can enable detailed characterization of planetary atmospheres, and is a key step towards imaging Earth-like planets. Imaging…
The photometric light curves of BRITE satellites were examined through a machine learning technique to investigate whether there are possible exoplanets moving around nearby bright stars. Focusing on different transit periods, several…
Direct dark matter searches are promising techniques to identify the nature of dark matter particles. I describe the future of this field of research, focussing on the question of what can be achieved in the next decade. I will present the…
The DECam Plane Survey is a five-band optical and near-infrared survey of the southern Galactic plane with the Dark Energy Camera at Cerro Tololo. The survey is designed to reach past the main-sequence turn-off at the distance of the…
Classical Cepheids (DCEPs) serve as fundamental standard candles for measuring cosmic distances and investigating the structure and evolution of the Milky Way disc. However, accurate distance estimation faces challenges due to severe…