Aims:OO Serpentis is a deeply embedded pre-main sequence star in the Serpens NW star-forming region. The star went into outburst in 1995 and gradually faded afterwards. In many respects its eruption resembled the well-known FU Orionis-type (FUor) or EX Lupi-type (EXor) outbursts. Since very few such events have ever been documented at infrared

We present UBVRI imaging polarimetry of NGC 2100 and its surrounding environment, which comprise a part of the LMC 2 supershell. The morphology of the observed position angle distribution provides a tracer of the projected magnetic field in this environment. Our polarization maps detail regions exhibiting similarly aligned polarization position

Aims:We present the results of a new spectroscopic and photometric survey of the hot, binary X-ray cluster A115 at z = 0.193, containing a radio relic. Methods: Our analysis is based on new spectroscopic data obtained at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo for 115 galaxies and on new photometric data obtained at the Isaac Newton Telescope in a large

This article reviews the situation for robotization of telescopes and instruments at the Antarctic station Concordia on Dome C. A brain-storming meeting was held in Tenerife in March 2007 from which this review emerged. We describe and summarize the challenges for night-time operations of various astronomical experiments at conditions ``between

Aims:Based on a new set of sulphur abundances in very metal-poor stars and an improved analysis of previous data, we aim at resolving current discrepancies on the trend of S/Fe vs. Fe/H and thereby gain better insight into the nucleosynthesis of sulphur. The trends of Zn/Fe and S/Zn will also be studied. Methods: High resolution VLT/UVES spectra of

We present high-quality Keck spectroscopic data for a sample of 20 globular clusters (GCs) in the massive E0 galaxy NGC 1407. A subset of 20 line-strength indices of the Lick/IDS system has been measured for both the GC system and the central integrated starlight of the galaxy. Ages, metallicities, and [α/Fe] ratios have been derived using several