To date, 55 stellar mass black hole candidates have been detected in transient X-ray binaries (BHTs). These systems are characterized by sporadic outburst episodes which increase their brightness by several orders of magnitude (allowing their detection by X-ray telescopes) and long periods of quiescence. In 46 years of X-ray astronomy, only 18 of

We describe a simple step-by-step guide to qualitative interpretation of galaxy spectra. Rather than an alternative to existing automated tools, it is put forward as an instrument for quick-look analysis and for gaining physical insight when interpreting the outputs provided by automated tools. Though the recipe is for general application, it was

Aims: We study the properties of solar granulation in a facular region from the photosphere up to the lower chromosphere. Our aim is to investigate the dependence of granular structure on magnetic field strength. Methods: We used observations obtained at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope (Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife) using two different

Factors contributing to the scatter around the ridge-line period-luminosity relationship are listed, followed by a discussion how to eliminate the adverse effects of these factors (mode of pulsation, crossing number, temperature range, reddening, binarity, metallicity, non-linearity of the relationship, blending), in order to reduce the dispersion

We present new far-infrared (70-500 μm) Herschel Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) and Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) imaging observations as well as new mid-IR Gemini/Thermal-Region Camera Spectrograph imaging (8.7 and 18.3 μm) and spectroscopy of the inner Lindblad resonance (ILR) region (R 2.5 kpc) of the

Integral field spectroscopy is a modern technique used in Astronomy to obtain simultaneous spectral information of all points in a bidimensional field of view. This communication presents the preliminary design of a multi-slit image slicer to be coupled to the spectrographs of the 4 meters aperture European Solar Telescope. This integral field unit