Using MHD numerical experiments in three dimensions, we study the emergence of a bipolar magnetic region from the solar interior into a model corona containing a large-scale, horizontal magnetic field. An arch-shaped concentrated current sheet is formed at the interface between the rising magnetized plasma and the ambient coronal field. Three

We present new broad-band optical and near-infrared CCD imaging together with deep optical intermediate-resolution spectroscopy of Mkn 1087 and its surrounding objects. We analyze the morphology and colors of the stellar populations of the brightest objects, some of them star-formation areas, as well as the kinematics, physical conditions and

The AKARI and Spitzer satellites provided an unique opportunity to observe a variety of stars, which are considered as departing from the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) and have started their post-AGB evolution recently. Most of these stars are absent optically and are bright in the mid-IR wavelength range. Spectra of close to 200 objects have been

The MAGIC Cherenkov telescopes underwent a major upgrade in 2011 and 2012. A new 1039-pixel camera and a larger area digital trigger system were installed in MAGIC-I, making it essentially identical to the newer MAGIC-II telescope. The readout systems of both telescopes were also upgraded, with fully programmable receiver boards and DRS4-chip-based

An analysis is performed of multicolour observations of OJ 287 carried out during the OJ-94 Project. It is found that in the optical region the variable sources have the same power-law spectrum (F_nu ~ nu (-1.5) ) irrespective of flux level. In the IR the spectrum flattens during the flare possibly because of synchrotron self-absorption. The

We report near-infrared and optical follow-up observations of the afterglow of the GRB 000418 starting 2.5 days after the occurrence of the burst and extending over nearly 7 weeks. GRB 000418 represents the second case for which the afterglow was initially identified by observations in the near-infrared. During the first 10 days its R-band