High-resolution spectral observations of young stars with dense protoplanetary discs like Beta Pictoris led to the discovery of variable emission lines of metal atoms, Na, Fe etc., that indicate the presence of fluxes of comet-like evaporating bodies falling onto the stars, FEBs. Assuming the presence of stellar atmospheres similar to the solar one, we show that passages of the FEBs through the stellar chromosphere and photosphere with velocities around 600 km/s will be accompanied by aerodynamic crushing of the nuclei, transverse expansion of the crushed matter, “explosion” of the flattened nuclei in a relatively very thin sub-photosphere layer due to sharp deceleration, and impulse production of a hot plasma. The impulsive rise of the layer's temperature and density lead to the generation of a strong “blast” shock wave and shock wave-induced ejection/eruption of hot plasma into space above the chromosphere. Observations of such impact-induced high-temperature phenomena are of interest for the physics/prognosis of stellar/solar flares as well as physics of comets.

A re-analysis of Gliese 667C HARPS precision radial velocity data was carried out with a Bayesian multi-planet Kepler periodogram (from 0 to 7 planets) based on a fusion Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. The most probable number of signals detected is six with a Bayesian false alarm probability of 0.012. The residuals were shown to be consistent with white noise. The six signals detected include two previously reported with periods of 7.198 (b) and 28.14 (c) days, plus additional periods of 30.82, 38.82, 53.22, and 91.3 days. The existence of these Keplerian-like signals suggest the possibility of additional planets in the habitable zone of Gl 667C although some of the signals could be artifacts arising from the sampling or stellar surface activity. N-body orbital integrations are being undertaken to determine which of these signals are consistent with a stable planetary system. Preliminary results demonstrate that four of the signals, with periods of 7.2, 28.1, 38.8, & 91 d, are consistent with a stable 4 planet system on time scales of 107 yr. The M sin i values are ~5.5, 4.4, 1.9, and 4.7 M⊕, respectively.

CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exo-earths with Near-infrared and optical Echelle Spectrographs) will conduct a radial-velocity survey of ~ 300 M dwarfs with the 3.5m telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory. The CARMENES instrument is currently under construction; it consists of two independent échelle spectrographs, which together cover the wavelength range 0.55 – 1.7μm at a spectral resolution of R = 82,000. The spectrographs and the fiber input are designed with a goal of 1m/s radial velocity precision using simultaneous calibration with emission-line lamps.

In this study we investigate the time variation of several solar activity, geomagnetic indices, and solar wind parameters (B, V). It is well known that solar wind is one of the main contributing factors to geomagnetic activity and his topology is strongly affect by solar events such as CMEs and coronals. For these two solar events, we study the correlation between PCI and BV during solar cycle phases and point out the close link between PCI and the occurring of CMEs and high wind speed flowing from coronal holes.

We present the results of two three-year surveys of young and nearby stars to search for wide orbit giant planets. On the one hand, we focus on early-type and massive, namely β Pictoris analogs. On the other hand, we observe late type and very low mass stars, i.e., M dwarfs. We report individual detections of new planetary mass objects. According to our deep detection performances, we derive the observed frequency of giant planets between these two classes of parent stars. We find frequency between 6 to 12% but we are not able to assess a/no correlation with the host-mass.

Using photometry at just two wavelengths it is possible to fit a blackbody to the spectrum of infrared excess that is the signature of a debris disc. From this the location of the dust can be inferred. However, it is well known that dust in debris discs is not a perfect blackbody. By resolving debris discs we can find the actual location of the dust and compare this to that inferred from the blackbody fit. Using the Herschel Space Observatory we resolved many systems as part of the DEBRIS survey. Here we discuss a sample of 9 discs surrounding A stars and find that the discs are actually located between 1 and 2.5 times further from their star than predicted by blackbody fits to the spectral energy distribution (SED). The variation in this ratio is due to differences in stellar luminosities, location of the dust, size distribution and composition of the dust.

Temporal structural changes of protoplanetary disks surrounding T Tauri stars (TTSs) can cause magnitude variations of TTSs. On the other hand, variability is also expected due to cool spots and/or hot spots on the surface of the star, thus it is important to distinguish the causes of the observed variability. Our sample consists of 23 TTSs (22 classical T Tauri stars, 1 weak-lined T Tauri star) and 4 Herbig Ae/Be stars. The observations were performed over a period of about 3 months in the V, J, and KS band, simultaneously. We detected variability for all stars in the three bands (>0.05 mag in V, >0.09 mag in J, >0.09 mag in KS). Color-magnitude relations obtained between V, J, and KS bands suggest that stellar spots are not the only cause of variability for most of our targets. In addition, the data implies that six stellar systems contain larger grains than in the interstellar medium if the variability is only caused by extinction due to circumstellar matter.

Asymmetries in exoplanet transits are proving to be a useful tool for furthering our understanding of magnetic activity on both stars and planets outside our Solar System. Near-UV observations of the WASP- 12 system have revealed asymmetries in the timing of the transit when compared with the optical light curve. In this paper we review a number of reported asymmetries and present work simulating near-UV transits for the hot-Jupiter hosting star HD 189733.

Planet formation and clearing of protoplanetary disks is one of the long standing problems in disk evolution theory. The best test of clearing scenarios is observing systems that are most likely to be actively forming planets: the transitional disks with large inner dust cavities. We present the first results of our ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) Cycle 0 program using Band 9, imaging the Herbig Ae star Oph IRS 48 in CO 6−5 and the submillimeter continuum in the extended configuration. The resulting ~0.2″ spatial resolution completely resolves the cavity of this disk in the gas and the dust. The gas cavity of IRS 48 is half as large as the dust cavity, ruling out grain growth and photoevaporation as the primary cause of the truncation. On the other hand, the continuum emission reveals an unexpected large azimuthal asymmetry and steep edges in the dust distribution along the ring, suggestive of dust trapping. We will discuss the implications of the combined gas and dust distribution for planet formation at a very early stage. This is one of the first transition disks with spatially resolved gas inside the cavity, demonstrating the superb capabilities of the Band 9 receivers.

Imaging debris discs in the L′-band (3.8 μm) is a difficult task. Quasi-static speckles from imperfect optics prevail below 1″ whereas background emission is the dominant noise source beyond that separation and is much larger than at shorter wavelengths. We demonstrate here the potential of the newly commissioned AGPM coronograph on VLT/NaCo combined with advanced star and sky subtraction technique based on Principal Component Analysis, and we analyze the morphology of the β Pictoris disc.

Due to the complexity of their environment, prominences properties are still a matter of controversy. Prominences cool and dense plasma is suspended in the hot corona by a magnetic structure poorly known. Their thermal insulation from the corona results in a thin geometrical interface called prominence-corona-transition-region (PCTR). Here we will review the main properties of such a region as derived primarily from observations. We will introduce the thermal structure properties, describe the fine structure together with the Doppler-shift and width properties of lines of the emitting plasma. We will introduce the proposed interpretations of such observations and the limits of our knowledge imposed by the present instrumentation. We will conclude with a perspective for the future observations of the PCTR.

As part of a deep multi-year non-redundant aperture mask infrared imaging campaign observing transition disks, we present multi-epoch monitoring of the resolved emission seen within the disk gap of LkCa 15. Orbital motion of both the central source and extended lobes as presented in Kraus and Ireland (2012) is clearly detected at the level of ~4 degrees/year (deprojected), in both K and L'-bands. Based on these data as well as single-epoch H and M bands epochs, we present two models for the central source - thermal emission as a planetary accretion signature and scattering. The thermal emission model is preferred.

The influence of the electron κ - distributions on the differential emission measure (DEM) of the prominence-corona transition region (PCTR) derived from observed line intensities has been investigated. An important consequence of the κ - distribution is formation of the emission lines in much wider temperature ranges. The implications for the formation temperature of the observed SDO/AIA band emissions are shown.

Surface photometry of 311 ellipticals from the 2MASS imaging database is analyzed with respect to the two most common fitting functions: the r 1/4 law and the Sérsic r 1/n model. The advantages and disadvantages of each fitting function are examined. In particular, the r 1/4 law performs well in the middle regions, but is inadequate for the core (inner 5 kpc) and the outer regions (beyond the half-light radius) which do not have r 1/4 shapes. It is found that the Sérsic r 1/n model produces good fits to the core regions of ellipticals (r<r half), but is an inadequate function for the entire profile of an elliptical from core to halo due to competing effects on the Sérsic n index and the fact that the interior shape of an elliptical is only weakly correlated with its halo shape. In addition, there are a wide range of Sérsic parameters that will equally describe the shape of the outer profile, degrading the Sérsic model's usefulness as a describer of the entire profile. Empirically determined parameters, such as half-light radius and total luminosity, have less scatter than fitting function variables. The scaling relations for ellipticals are often non-linear, but for ellipticals brighter than MJ < −23 the following structural relations are found: L ∝ r 0.8±0.1, L ∝ Σ−0.5±0.1, and Σ ∝ r −1.5±0.1.

The aim of our study is to investigate the possibility of habitable moons orbiting the giant planet HD 23079b, a Jupiter-mass planet, which follows a low-eccentricity orbit in the outer region of HD 23079’s habitable zone. We show that HD 23079b is able to host habitable moons in prograde and retrograde orbits, as expected, noting that the outer stability limit for retrograde orbits is increased by nearly 90% compared with that of prograde orbits, a result consistent with previous generalised studies. For the targeted parameter space, it was found that the outer stability limit for habitable moons varies between 0.05236 and 0.06955 AU (prograde orbits) and between 0.1023 and 0.1190 AU (retrograde orbits), depending on the orbital parameters of the Jupiter-type planet if a minimum mass is assumed. These intervals correspond to 0.306 and 0.345 (prograde orbits) and 0.583 and 0.611 (retrograde orbits) of the planet's Hill radius. Larger stability limits are obtained if an increased value for the planetary mass mp is considered; they are consistent with the theoretically deduced relationship of m 1/3 p . Finally, we compare our results with the statistical formulae of Domingos, Winter, & Yokoyama, indicating both concurrence and limitations.

Understanding the formation and evolution of the first stars and galaxies represents one of the most exciting frontiers in astronomy. Since the universe was filled with neutral hydrogen at early times, the most promising method for observing the epoch of the first stars is using the prominent 21-cm spectral line of the hydrogen atom. Current observational efforts are focused on the reionisation era (cosmic age t ~ 500 Myr), with earlier times considered much more challenging. However, the next frontier of even earlier galaxy formation (t ~ 200 Myr) is emerging as a promising observational target. This is made possible by a recently noticed effect of a significant relative velocity between the baryons and dark matter at early times. The velocity difference suppresses star formation, causing a unique form of early luminosity bias. The spatial variation of this suppression enhances large-scale clustering and produces a prominent cosmic web on 100 comoving Mpc scales in the 21-cm intensity distribution. This structure makes it much more feasible for radio astronomers to detect these early stars, and should drive a new focus on this era, which is rich with little-explored astrophysics.

In a quest to further our understanding of the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) as well as the unidentified carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs), we are mapping DIBs across the sky using hundreds of hot stars as background torches – globular clusters (in particular ω Centauri), nearby stars in and around the Local Bubble, and stars within the Magellanic Clouds. I describe the results so far obtained and our current experiments.

The abundance ratio [α/Fe] is a useful tracer to probe the history of star formation and the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. We present a statistical analysis of [α/Fe] in 953 dwarf stars to investigate the distributions of [α/Fe] in the the thin- and thick-disk stars.