We derive the relative distances to the Virgo, Fornax and Coma clusters of galaxies by applying the D_n-sigma and the Fundamental Plane (FP) relations to the data of the homogeneous samples of early-type galaxies studied by Caon et al., Lucey et al. and Jorgensen et al. The two distance indicators give consistent results, the relative distance

We report the detection of 15 X-ray bursts with RXTE and Swift observations of the peculiar X-ray binary Circinus X-1 (Cir X-1) during its 2010 May X-ray re-brightening. These are the first X-ray bursts observed from the source after the initial discovery by Tennant and collaborators, 25 years ago. By studying their spectral evolution, we firmly

The SW Sextantis stars are nova-like cataclysmic variables (CVs) which exhibit intricate behaviour which is still a matter of debate. For years the common belief has been that these systems were the "outlaws" of the CVs, mainly because of the lack of an overall understanding. We are now realizing that a large percentage (˜ 30%) of all nova-likes in

Two-dimensional stellar kinematics of 48 representative elliptical (E) and lenticular (S0) galaxies obtained with the SAURON integral-field spectrograph reveal that early-type galaxies appear in two broad flavours, depending on whether they exhibit clear large-scale rotation or not. We define a new parameter , which involves luminosity-weighted

We analyse the orbital distribution of elliptical (E) and lenticular (S0) galaxies using SAURON integral-field stellar kinematics within about one effective (half-light) radius. We construct the anisotropy diagram, which relates the ratio of the ordered and random motion in a galaxy (V/σ) to its observed ellipticity (ɛ), for the 48 E/S0 galaxies

We present absorption-line strength maps of a sample of 24 representative early-type spiral galaxies, mostly of type Sa, obtained as part of the SAURON (Spectrographic Areal Unit for Research on Optical Nebulae) survey of nearby galaxies using our custom-built integral-field spectrograph. Using high-quality spectra, spatially binned to a constant