The expansion in the plane of the sky of the nebula around the symbiotic nova He2-147 has been resolved by means of two HST WFPC2 [NII] images taken 3 years apart. The information on the tangential expansion is complemented by the velocities along the line of sight, obtained through VLT integral-field spectroscopy. This combination of data reveals

Compositional studies of primitive asteroid families provide constraints on the physical and chemical environment of the solar nebula and the evolution of the asteroid belt. Spectroscopic studies in the visible and near-infrared have shown spectral diversity between primitive families. Our goal is to better constrain the composition of two

We present reliable measurements of the metallicity distribution function (MDF) at different points along the tidal stream of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy, based on high-resolution, echelle spectroscopy of candidate M giant members of the Sgr system. The Sgr MDF is found to evolve significantly from a median [Fe/H]~-0.4 in

We hypothesize that hot Jupiters with inflated sizes represent a separate planet formation channel, the merging of two low-mass stars. We show that the abundance and properties of W UMa stars and low mass detached binaries are consistent with their being possible progenitors. The degree of inflation of the transiting hot Jupiters correlates with

Barnard's star is a red dwarf, and has the largest proper motion (apparent motion across the sky) of all known stars. At a distance of 1.8 parsecs1, it is the closest single star to the Sun; only the three stars in the α Centauri system are closer. Barnard's star is also among the least magnetically active red dwarfs known2,3 and has an estimated

In this paper, all the light-curves obtained during the PHEMU91 campaign of observations of the mutual phenomena of the Galilean satellites are presented. These observations give accurate astrometric positions of major interest for dynamical studies of the motion of the Galilean satellites. The aim of this work is to give observational data