In this work, we present an analysis of SNe number ratios in spiral galaxies with different morphological subtypes, luminosities, sSFR, and metallicities, to provide important information about the physical properties of the progenitor populations.

The new photometric observations of PG 2303+243 were obtained in 2012 during a campaign carried out with three telescopes. The analysis of these observations is presented in this paper. We identified l = 1 and l = 2 pulsation modes. The pulsation periods were compared with theoretical ones for models of ZZ Ceti stars. This allowed us to estimate the physical parameters of PG 2303+243. The star seems to be cooler and has thicker hydrogen layer than it was thought before. We have derived M*/M⊙ = 0.66, Teff = 11014 K and log(MH/M*)=−4.246 for this star.

Theory predicts that hydrodynamical instabilities transport angular momentum and chemical elements in rotating massive stars. An interplay of rotation and a magnetic field affects these transport processes. The complexity of the problem imposes that a comprehensive description cannot be developed on theoretical grounds alone, progress in the understanding of the evolution of massive stars has to be guided by observations. The challenge lies both in the derivation of accurate and precise observational constraints as well as in the extraction of the relevant information for identifying possible correlations – like between surface magnetic fields, abundances, and surface rotation – from a multivariate function of the many parameters involved. I review the most important steps recently made based on detailed studies of massive stars both in the field and in clusters towards finding such links that ultimately may guide the further development of the models.

We present our joint efforts to study variable stars in open clusters. This includes a new catalogue, a photometric survey for new variables, and the database WEBDA. Our tools will shed more light on stellar variability in open clusters.

High-redshift quasars are thought to reside in the most massive halos in the early universe and should therefore be located in fields with overdensities of galaxies, which are expected to evolve into galaxy clusters seen in the local Universe. In Bañados et al. (2013), we used deep narrow-band imaging to study the environment of the z=5.72 quasar ULAS J0203 + 0012. The redshift range probed by our narrow band selection is Δz ~ 0.1. This was the first time that Lyman alpha emitters (LAEs) were searched for near a z ~ 6 quasar, to provide clues on the surroundings of quasars at the end of the epoch of reionization. The main result of this work is that no enhancement of LAEs has been found in the surroundings of ULAS J0203 + 0012. We discuss different explanations and interpretations for this non-detection of a galaxy overdensity.

With the goal of investigating the link between black hole (BH) and star formation (SF) activity, we study a deep sample of radio selected star forming galaxies (SFGs) and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Using a multi-wavelength approach we characterize their host galaxies properties (stellar masses, optical colors, and morphology). Moreover, comparing the star formation rate derived from the radio and far-infrared luminosity, we found evidences that the main contribution to the radio emission in the radio-quiet AGNs is star-formation activity in their host galaxy.

We characterized the time intervals between the interchanges of the alternating high- and low-amplitude extrema of three RV Tauri and three RR Lyrae stars.

Surveys of the resolved stellar content of entire galaxies are the natural tool to study fast evolutionary phases of massive stars. Therefore we launched the Magellanic Clouds Massive Stars and Feedback Survey (MCSF) and periodically imaged for 3 years the entire Small and Large Magellanic Cloud in u, B, V, R, I and Hα, [Oiii], [Sii] using the twin telescope RoBoTT at the University Observatory of the Ruhr-University Bochum at Cerro Armazones, Chile. Observations with short exposure times are included to ensure brightest stars not to be saturated, yielding a full coverage in luminosity. With this unique dataset we can study the massive stellar populations up to MB ∼ −10 mag and their feedback. Upon completion a high quality photometric and spatially complete catalog of the Magellanic Clouds will be established which is be comparable (or even beyond) the quality of HST based photometry of nearby galaxies.

Several works have shown that there is an empirical correlation between the star formation rate and the luminosity of the active galactic nucleus (and thus the black hole accretion rate, ṀBH) of Seyfert galaxies. This suggests a physical relation between the gas forming stars on kpc scales and the gas on sub-pc scales that is feeding the black hole. Simulations predict this relation and also that the correlation should be more prominent on smaller physical scales. We have compiled high angular resolution (0.4–0.8″) mid-infrared spectroscopy obtained with T-ReCS, VISIR, and Michelle of 29 Seyferts. We use the 11.3 μm PAH feature to probe the star formation activity in the inner ~65 pc, and its relation with the ṀBH on these physical scales.

In this article, we show how asteroseismology and spectropolarimetry allow to probe dynamical processes in massive star interiors. First, we give a summary of the state-of-the-art. Second, we recall the MHD mechanisms that take place in massive stars. Next, we show how asteroseismology gives strong constraints on the internal mixing and transport of angular momentum while spectropolarimetry allows to unravel the role played by magnetic fields.

The Global Astronomical Telescope System is a project managed by the Astronomical Observatory Institute of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (Poland) and it is primarily intended for stellar medium/high resolution spectroscopy. The system will be operating as a global network of robotic telescopes. The GATS consists of two telescopes: PST 1 in Poland (near Poznań) and PST 2 in the USA (Arizona). The GATS project is also intended to cooperate with the BRITE satellites and supplement their photometry with spectroscopic observations.

We present near-infrared spectra of young radio quasars selected by cross-correlating the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) all-sky survey catalog with the radio catalog [Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty cm (FIRST) and NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS)]. The objects have typical redshifts of z ≈ 2 and [O III] luminosities of 107 erg s−1 comparable to those of luminous quasars. The observed flux ratios of narrow emission lines indicate that these objects appear to be powered by active galactic nuclei. The [O III] line is broad, with full width at half maximum ~1300 to 2100 km s−1, significantly larger than that of ordinary quasars. These large line widths might be explained by jet-induced outflows.

The gravity modes present in γ Doradus stars probe the deep stellar interiors and are thus of particular interest in asteroseismology. For the MUSICIAN programme at the University of Canterbury, we obtain extensive high-resolution echelle spectra of γ Dor stars from the Mt John University Observatory in New Zealand. We analyze these to obtain the pulsational frequencies and identify these with the multiple pulsational modes excited in the star. A summary of recent results from our spectroscopic mode-identification programme is given.

Recent detection of a large number of apparently isolated massive stars within the inner 80 pc of the Galactic Center has raised fundamental questions regarding massive star formation in a such a dense and harsh environment. Are these isolated stars the results of tidal interactions between clusters, are they escapees from a disrupted cluster, or do they represent a new mode of massive star formation in isolation? Noting that most of the isolated massive stars have spectral analogs in the Quintuplet Cluster, we have undertaken a combined analysis of the infrared spectra of both selected Quintuplet stars and the isolated objects using Gemini North spectroscopy. We present preliminary results, aiming at α-elements vs iron abundances, stellar properties, ages and radial velocities which will differentiate the top-heavy and star-formation scenarios.