Related papers: Supernova 1954J (Variable 12) in NGC 2403 Unmasked

We present XMM-Newton observations of the luminous star Eta Carinae, including a high resolution soft X-ray spectrum of the surrounding nebula obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer. The EPIC image of the field around Eta Car…

Photometric and spectroscopic observations of the faint Supernovae (SNe) 2002kg and 2003gm, and their precursors, in NGC 2403 and NGC 5334 respectively, are presented. The properties of these SNe are discussed in the context of previously…

SN 2018ivc is an unusual type II supernova (SN II). It is a variant of SNe IIL, which might represent a transitional case between SNe IIP with a massive H-rich envelope, and IIb with only a small amount of the H-rich envelope. However, SN…

We study the outflow activity, photometric variability and morphology of three very young stellar objects in the Serpens NW star forming region: OO Serpentis, EC 37 (V370 Ser) and EC 53 (V371 Ser). High spatial resolution Keck/NIRC2 laser…

Eta Car is one of the most luminous and massive stars in our Galaxy and is the brightest mid-infrared (mid-IR) source in the sky, outside our solar system. Since the late 1990s the central source has dramatically brightened at ultraviolet…

We have measured the brightness variations in Eta Carinae for the past six years using the Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and Advanced Camera for Surveys. Unlike ground-based data, observations by the HST allow…

We report on the detection of a previously unknown extended low-density nebula of very high temperature and excitation, TR001507.7-391206, located above the midplane of NGC55. The nebular emission line spectrum, in which HeII is present, is…

We present thermal infrared images of the bipolar nebula surrounding eta Carinae at six wavelengths from 4.8 to 24.5 microns. These were obtained with the MIRAC3 camera system at the Magellan Observatory. Our images reveal new intricate…

The progenitor of type II-plateau supernova (SN) 2004dj is identified with a supergiant in a compact star cluster known as "Sandage Star 96" (S96) in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 2403, which was fortuitously imaged as part of the…

We present observations of the massive transitional star W243 in Westerlund 1. We find an apparent spectral type of early-mid A from our data, in contrast to an earlier classification of B2I, made from data obtained in 1981. The concurrent…

I compare the structures of the bipolar nebulae around the massive binary system Eta Carinae and around the low mass binary system HD 44179. While Eta Carinae is on its way to become a supernova, the Red Rectangle is on its way to form a…

We present Hubble Space Telescope imaging confirming the optical disappearance of the failed supernova (SN) candidate identified by Gerke et al. (2015). This $\sim 25~M_{\odot}$ red supergiant experienced a weak $\sim 10^{6}~L_{\odot}$…

The luminous, oxygen-rich supernova remnant, J1228+441, is located in the irregular galaxy NGC 4449 and has been observed at radio wavelengths for thirty years. An analysis of recent VLA observations of NGC 4449, combined with VLA archive…

The bright, nearby, recently discovered supernova SN2010jl is a member of the rare class of relatively luminous Type~IIn events. Here we report archival HST observations of its host galaxy UGC5189A taken roughly 10yr prior to explosion, as…

We have monitored the 2014 superoutburst of the WZ Sge-type transient PNV J03093063+2638031 for more than four months, from V=11.0 maximum brightness down to V=18.4 mag, close to quiescence value, by obtaining BVRI photometry and low…

We analyse photometric observations of the supernova (SN) impostor SN 2000ch in NGC 3432 covering the time since its discovery. This source was previously observed to have four outbursts in 2000-2010. Observations now reveal at least three…

While performing a survey to detect recoiling supermassive black holes, we have identified an unusual source having a projected offset of 800 pc from a nearby dwarf galaxy. The object, SDSS J113323.97+550415.8, exhibits broad emission lines…

Supernova (SN) 2014C is a rare transitional event that exploded as a hydrogen-poor, helium-rich Type Ib SN and subsequently interacted with a hydrogen-rich circumstellar medium (CSM) a few months post-explosion. This unique interacting…

During $\eta$ Car's spectroscopic event in mid-2003, the stellar wind's bright H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$ emission lines temporarily had a distinctive shape unlike that reported on any previous occasion, and particularly unlike the 1997--98…

We present spectroscopic observations with high spectral resolution of eta Car as seen by the SE lobe of the Homunculus nebula over the 2003.5 "spectroscopic event". The observed spectra represent the stellar spectrum emitted near the pole…