Basic stellar parameters such as effective temperature, surface gravity, chemical composition, and projected rotational velocity, are important to classify stars and are crucial for successful asteroseismic modelling. However, the Kepler space data do not provide such information. Therefore, ground-based spectral and multi-colour observations of

Context. Rotation is of key importance for the evolution of massive star, including their fate as supernovae or gamma-ray bursts. However, the rotational velocities of OB stars are difficult to determine. Aims: Based on our own data for 31 Galactic O stars and incorporating similar data for 86 OB supergiants from the literature, we aim at

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been proposed as a tool for studying star formation in the Universe, so it is crucial to investigate whether their host galaxies and immediate environments are in any way special compared with other star-forming galaxies. Here we present spatially resolved maps of dust emission of the host galaxyof the closest known GRB

We study the evolution of three fields in the outer Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) disc (Rgc = 3.5-6.2 kpc). Their star formation history indicates a stellar population gradient such that younger stellar populations are more centrally concentrated. We identify two main star-forming epochs, separated by a period of lower activity between ≃7 and ≃4 Gyr

Aims: We aim to extend our current observational understanding of the integrated planet Earth spectropolarimetry from the optical to the near-infrared wavelengths. Major biomarkers like O2 and water vapor are strong flux absorbents in the Earth's atmosphere, and some linear polarization of the reflected stellar light is expected to occur at these

Context. Understanding the formation, evolution and present-day properties of the cosmic web and objects forming it is an important task in cosmology. Aims: We compare the galaxy populations in superclusters of different morphology in the nearby Universe (180 h-1 Mpc ≤ d ≤ 270 h-1 Mpc) to see whether the inner structure and overall morphology of