We report on RXTE observations of the neutron star transient currently active in Terzan 5 (also known as IGR J17480-2446; ATels #2919, #2920, #2922, #2924, #2929, #2932, #2933, #2937, #2939, #2940, #2946), which has recently turned into a Z source (Altamirano et al., ATel #2952). The X-ray burst rate has increased gradually (see also ATels #2939,

Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) at z 1 are found in most cases to be accompanied by bright, broad-lined Type Ic supernovae (SNe Ic-BL). The highest-energy GRBs are mostly located at higher redshifts, where the associated SNe are hard to detect observationally. Here, we present early and late observations of the optical counterpart of the

The contact phase expected to precede the coalescence of two massive stars is poorly characterized due to the paucity of observational constraints. Here we report on the discovery of VFTS 352, an O-type binary in the 30 Doradus region, as the most massive and earliest spectral type overcontact system known to date. We derived the 3D geometry of the

Using the High Resolution Camera on board the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we have measured an accurate position for the bright persistent neutron star X-ray binary and atoll source GX 3+1. At a location that is consistent with this new position, we have discovered the near-infrared (NIR) counterpart to GX 3+1 in images taken with the PANIC and

The optical transient of the faint gamma-ray burst GRB 990308 was detected by the QUEST camera on the Venezuelan 1 m Schmidt telescope starting 3.28 hr after the burst. Our photometry gives V=18.32+/-0.07, R=18.14+/-0.06, B=18.65+/-0.23, and R=18.22+/-0.05 for times ranging from 3.28 to 3.47 hr after the burst. The colors correspond to a spectral

During a 50 ks monitoring observation of the Galactic bulge performed in September 1999 by the Wide Field Cameras on board the BeppoSAX satellite, an X-ray burst was detected from a sky position ~ 3degr off the Galactic centre. No previously known X-ray sources are located within the position error circle of the observed burst. The new burster, SAX