The Sombrero galaxy (M104) is an interesting object for a dust energy balance study due to its very symmetric dust lane, its proximity and its (nearly edge-on) inclination of 84°. From a panchromatic radiative transfer analysis, including scattering, absorption and thermal dust re-emission, we construct a standard model for M104 accounting for observations in the optical wave bands (stellar SED, images and extinction profiles in the V and RC band). This standard model underestimates the observed dust emission at infrared wavelengths by a factor of ~ 3, similar to the discrepancy found in other energy balance studies of edge-on spirals. Supplementing this standard model with a young stellar component of low star formation activity in both the inner disk (SFR ~ 0.21 M⊙ yr−1) and dust ring (SFR ~ 0.05 M⊙ yr−1), we are capable of solving the discrepancy in the dust energy budget of the Sombrero galaxy at wavelengths shortwards of 100 μm. To account for the remaining discrepancy at longer wavelengths, we propose a secondary dust component distributed in quiescent clumps. This model with a clumpy dust structure predicts three-quarters of the total dust content to reside in compact dust clouds with no associated embedded sources.

We have carried out a detailed modeling of the dust Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of the nearby, starbursting dwarf galaxy NGC 4214. A key point of our modeling is that we distinguish the emission from (i) HII regions and their associated photodissociation regions (PDRs) and (ii) diffuse dust. For both components we apply templates from the literature calculated with a realistic geometry and including radiation transfer. The large amount of existing data from the ultraviolet (UV) to the radio allows the direct measurement of most of the input parameters of the models. We achieve a good fit for the total dust SED of NGC 4214. In the present contribution we describe the available data, the data reduction and the determination of the model parameters, whereas a description of the general outline of our work is presented in the contribution of Lisenfeld et al. in this volume.

In the past five years systematic searches, serendipitous discoveries and archival searches have yielded over a dozen transients that are brighter than novæ but fainter than supernovæ. The observed properties of these “gap” transients tend to place them in distinct classes, some being about 100 times brighter than novæ and durations of nearly 100 days (e.g., M85 OT, PTF10fqs), while others (such as SN2002bj and PTF10bhp) nearly reach supernovæ luminosities but fade in five days. The state of theoretical understanding varies substantially across the class of objects, and is ripe for progress.

The present work shows the Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) in the infrared using the IRTF stellar library, obtained using models based on Single Stellar population Models (SSP). We have focused on the K band in order to compare with observables of elliptical galaxies. We also present the comparisons of our models with velocity dispersions, ages and metallicities obtained with models in the optical range.

We use Herschel Space Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope 70-500 μm data along with ground-based optical and near-infrared data to understand how dust heating in the nearby face-on spiral galaxies M81, M83, and NGC 2403 is affected by the starlight from all stars and by the radiation from star-forming regions. We find that 70/160 μm flux density ratios tend to be more strongly influenced by star-forming regions. However, the 250/350 and 350/500 μm micron flux density ratios are more strongly affected by the light from the total stellar populations, suggesting that the dust emission at > 250 μm originates predominantly from a component that is colder than the dust seen at <160 μm and that is relatively unaffected by star formation activity. We conclude by discussing the implications of this for modelling the spectral energy distributions of both nearby and more distant galaxies and for using far-infrared dust emission to trace star formation.

Citizen Science is the act of collecting or analyzing data by enlisting the help of volunteers who may have no specific scientific training. The workshop discussed how “Citizen Science” fits into time-domain astronomy, what the roles of such volunteers might be, and how amateur astronomers can help in the new era of surveys.