Two nights of phase-resolved medium-resolution Very Large Telescope spectroscopy of the extra-galactic low-mass X-ray binary LMCX-2 have revealed a 0.32 +/- 0.02 d spectroscopic period in the radial velocity curve of the HeII λ4686 emission line that we interpret as the orbital period. However, similar to previous findings, this radial velocity

This paper presents a method to determine how much detail of the height stratification of atmospheric parameters can be retrieved from the inversion of spectral lines (and their polarization profiles, when available) via χ2-minimization algorithms. An a priori analysis of the response functions and their correlations permits an evaluation of the

The present paper discusses the seismic modelling of five δ Scuti stars belonging to the Praesepe cluster. Linear analysis is confronted with observations, using refined descriptions for the effects of rotation on the determination of the global stellar parameters and on the adiabatic oscillation frequency computations. A single, complete, and

The existence of density-bounded HII regions in spiral galaxies is supported by means of a spectral indicator based on the intensity of the [OI]λ6300 forbidden line. A grid of photoionization models providing spectral information on density-bounded nebulae is presented in order to test the validity of our indicator. The indicator is applicable to

Aims.We study the optical spectral properties of a sample of stars showing far infrared colours similar to those of well-known planetary nebulae. The large majority of them were unidentified sources or poorly known in the literature at the time when this spectroscopic survey started, some 15 years ago. Methods: .We present low-resolution optical

Based on spectrophotometric observations from the Guillermo Haro Observatory (Cananea, Mexico), a study of the spectral properties of the complete sample of 24 blue straggler stars (BSs) in the old Galactic open cluster M67 (NGC 2682) is presented. All spectra, calibrated using spectral standards, were recalibrated by means of photometric