We propose to observe the peculiar neutron star low mass X-ray binary (NS/LMXB) 2S 1803-245 in quiescence. Together with EXO 1745-248, it is the only transient that reached peak luminosities comparable to the Eddington- limit. This makes 2S 1803-245 one of the thermally brightest NSs in quiescence according to the cooling theory, and therefore one

IAUC 7989 available at Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams.

IAUC 7284 available at Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams.

Early-type dwarf galaxies are not simply featureless, old objects, but were found to be much more diverse, hosting substructures and a variety of stellar population properties. To explore the stellar content of faint early-type galaxies, and to investigate in particular those with recent central star formation, we study colours and colour gradients

We present Keck/LRIS optical spectroscopy of 35 z>=1.4 luminous IR galaxies in the Spitzer Wide-area Infra-Red Extragalactic survey (SWIRE) northern fields (Lockman Hole, ELAIS-N1, ELAIS-N2). The primary targets belong to the "IR-peak" class of galaxies, having the 1.6{mu}m (restframe) stellar feature detected in the IRAC Spitzer channels. The

The next generation of space- and ground-based spectropolarimeters demands new diagnostic tools capable of fast (ideally real-time) and reliable interpretation of the Stokes data. This paper presents a critical review of the various techniques that can be used for Solar magnetometry, from traditional approaches, such as the magnetograph formula, to