We present a second-order analytical expansion of null equatorial geodesics in the Kerr metric. The equations developed are applied to the study of light transit in compact binary systems. We show that the effects arising from path bending have a significant influence on the computed time delays, even at first order of approximation in the

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I have studied the relation between the global star formation activity and the bar structure in a sample of isolated barred galaxies. The star formation activity was quantified via the ratio between the IRAS fluxes at 25 mu m and 100 mu m. Two parameters were chosen to define the bar structure: the strength of the bar and the relative projected bar

We present Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Swift observations of the quiescent neutron star in the transient low-mass X-ray binary MAXI J0556-332. Observations of the source made during outburst (with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer) reveal tracks in its X-ray color-color and hardness-intensity diagrams that closely resemble those of the neutron-star Z

Optical spectrophotometry of the active galaxy PKS 0521-365 over a period of 7 years is reported, together with the analysis of IUE archival spectra. The Hα emission line intensity varied by more than a factor of 2 during the monitoring. Similar amplitude variations are observed in the optical and UV continuum, which however are not simply

This paper discusses the properties of the European Large Area ISO Survey (ELAIS) 15-μm quasars and tries to establish a robust method of quasar selection for future use within the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic Survey (SWIRE) framework. The importance of good-quality ground-based optical data is stressed, both for the selection of