We present a statistical analysis of voids in the two-degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS). In order to detect the voids, we have developed two robust algorithms. We define voids as non-overlapping maximal spheres empty of haloes or galaxies with mass or luminosity above a given value. We search for voids in cosmological N-Body simulations

We report on results from the first solar Fitting at Low-Angular degree Group (solar FLAG) hare-and-hounds exercise. The group is concerned with the development of methods for extracting the parameters of low-l solar p-mode data (`peak bagging'), collected by Sun-as-a-star observations. Accurate and precise estimation of the fundamental parameters

Periods and damping times of quasi-mode fundamental kink oscillations have been computed for non-uniform cylindrical models of coronal loops. The radial inhomogeneity length-scale, the density contrast and the internal Alfvén velocity are three equilibrium quantities that determine the theoretical values of the period and damping times in 1-D

Ground-based wide-field surveys for nearby transiting gas giants are yielding far fewer true planets than astrophysical false positives, some of which are difficult to reject. Recent experience has highlighted the need for careful analysis to eliminate astronomical systems in which light from a faint eclipsing binary is blended with that from a

We analyse the problem of parameter estimation for compact binary systems that could be detected by ground-based gravitational wave detectors. So far, this problem has only been dealt with for the inspiral and the ringdown phases separately. In this paper, we combine the information from both signals, and we study the improvement in parameter

We present ground-based B and R-band color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of unprecedented depth for twelve fields in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). They reach the oldest main-sequence turnoffs and cover a wide range of galactocentric distances up to ˜4° from the SMC center, and are located at different position angles. A picture of the stellar