Several recent studies indicate that bulges are more complex than merely structureless relaxed stellar systems. We study the HST images of a sample of 130 nearby early type (S0-Sab) disc galaxies and detect pure structureless bulges with the Sersic index n > 2 for only 12% of the galaxies. Other galaxies show varied substructure in their inner

The Triple F ( Fresh From the Fridge) mission, a Comet Nucleus Sample Return, has been proposed to ESA’s Cosmic Vision program. A sample return from a comet enables us to reach the ultimate goal of cometary research. Since comets are the least processed bodies in the solar system, the proposal goes far beyond cometary science topics (like the

We use two-dimensional numerical simulations and eikonal approximation to study properties of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves traveling below the solar surface through the magnetic structure of sunspots. We consider a series of magnetostatic models of sunspots of different magnetic field strengths, from 10 Mm below the photosphere to the low

Context: Previously known as 2003 EL{61}, (136108) Haumea, is the largest member of a group of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) with similar orbits and “unique” spectral characteristics in the form of a neutral slope in the visible and the deepest water ice absorption bands observed in the trans-Neptunian belt (TNb). Studying the surface of 2003 EL

We present a quantitative analysis of the star formation history (SFH) of 12 fields in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) based on unprecedented deep [(B-R),R] color—magnitude diagrams (CMDs) from Noël et al. (2007). Our fields reach down to the oldest main sequence (MS) turnoff with high photometric accuracy, which is vital for obtaining accurate

The Space Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) is planned to be the next space astronomy mission observing in the infrared. The mission is planned to be launched in 2017 and will feature a 3.5 m telescope cooled to 30 microns wavelength). We describe the scientific advances that will be made possible by this large increase in