Related papers: Star luminosity function as an age indicator for t…

The WFPC2 of the HST has been used to obtain high-resolution images of NGC 4038/4039 that go roughly 3 magnitudes deeper in V than previous observations made during Cycle 2 (-14 < M_V < -6). To first order the luminosity function (LF) is a…

[Abridged] Twenty-six high-luminosity IRAS sources believed to be collection of stars in the early phases of high-mass star formation have been observed in the NIR (J, H, K) to characterize the clustering properties of their young stellar…

We use the Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis (BPASS) models to test the recent suggestion that red supergiants can provide an accurate age estimate of a co-eval stellar population that is unaffected by interacting binary stars. Ages…

Star clusters in 6 nearby spiral galaxies are examined using archive images from HST/WFPC2. The galaxies have previously been studied from the ground and some of them are known to possess rich populations of "young massive clusters" (YMCs).…

This contribution describes the difficult task of inferring the IMF from local star-count data, by discussing the mass-luminosity relation, unresolved binary, triple and quadruple systems, abundance and age spreads and Galactic structure,…

We present a method to obtain quantitative measures of galaxy morphology and apply it to a spectroscopic sample of field galaxies in order to determine the luminosity and stellar mass functions of galactic disks and spheroids. We estimate,…

Dwarf galaxies are the numerically dominating population in the dense regions of the universe. Although they seem to be simple systems at first view, the stellar populations of dwarf elliptical galaxies (dEs) might be fairly complex.…

We present our new, fully-automated method to detect and measure the ages of star clusters in nearby galaxies, where individual stars can be resolved. The method relies purely on statistical analysis of observations and Monte-Carlo…

I have used high-precision photometry and astrometry from the second data release of the Gaia mission to perform a survey for young stars associated with the Lupus clouds, which have distances of ~160 pc and reside within the Sco-Cen OB…

We present a quantitative analysis of the star formation history (SFH) of the Local Group dSph galaxy Leo I, from the information in its HST [(V-I),I] color-magnitude diagram (CMD). The method we use is based in comparing, via synthetic…

We present a new method to derive the age of young (<0.7 Gyr) L dwarfs based on their near-infrared photometry, colours, and distances. The method is based on samples of L dwarfs belonging to the Upper Sco association (5 Myr), the Alpha Per…

(Summary) Making use of scaling relations between the central and the total galaxy luminosity of a dark matter halo as a function of the halo mass, and the scatter in these relations, we present an empirical model to describe the luminosity…

In this contribution I will discuss fundamental stellar parameters as determined from young star clusters; specifically those with ages less than or approximately equal to that of the Pleiades. I will focus primarily on the use of stellar…

Globular clusters are among the first objects used to establish the distance scale of the Universe. In the 1970-ies it has been recognized that the differential magnitude distribution of old globular clusters is very similar in different…

Pre-main sequence evolutionary theory is not well-calibrated to observations. With care, the observed quantities can be converted into effective temperature and luminosity (i.e. the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram) which the theoretical…

We present a new catalog and results for the cluster system of the starburst galaxy NGC 4449 based on multi-band imaging observations taken as part of the LEGUS and Halpha-LEGUS surveys. We improve the spectral energy fitting method used to…

We have determined the composite luminosity function (LF) for galaxies in 60 clusters from the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey. The LF spans the range $-22.5<M_{b_{\rm J}}<-15$, and is well-fitted by a Schechter function with ${M_{b_{\rm…

With the state-of-the-art Gaia astrometry, the number of confirmed white dwarfs has reached a few hundred thousand. We have reached the era where small features in the white dwarf luminosity function (WDLF) of the solar neighbourhood can be…

The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way plays host to a massive, young cluster that may have formed in one of the most inhospitable environments in the Galaxy. We present new measurements of the global properties of this…

We review many of the basic properties of star cluster systems, and focus in particular on how they relate to their host galaxy properties and ambient environment. The cluster mass and luminosity functions are well approximated by…