In July, the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary Aql X-1 was detected in outburst at X-ray, UV, optical and near-infrared wavelengths (ATel #2742, #2744, #2748). On 1st September the X-rays re-brightened (ATel #2850). Here we report on our ongoing optical monitoring campaign (ATel #1218, #1970, #2288) with the Faulkes Telescopes North and

One of the problems found in the design of the electronics for astronomical instruments is the difficulty to find precise digitizers (16 bits) at high speed. In fact, most of the chips which claim to have 16-bit actually have a lower ENOB (Effective Number Of Bits), normally around 14, when considering their noise effects. In this paper, a

Context: The physical interpretation of scattering line polarization offers a novel diagnostic window for exploring the thermal and magnetic structure of the quiet regions of the solar atmosphere. Aims: We evaluate the impact of isotropic collisions with neutral hydrogen atoms on the scattering polarization signals of the 13 lines of multiplet 42

The continuum and emission lines properties of a sample of 73 blazars is studied, investigating differences and similarities among normal low-polarization quasars (LPQ), radio-loud high polarized quasars (HPQ), and BL Lacertae objects (BLL). We found that at variance with LPQ, most HPQ have power law optical continua (fnu_{prop.to}νalpha^ ) with no

Aims: The knowledge of physical conditions in young radio sources is important for defining the framework of models describing radio source evolution. We investigate whether young radio sources are in equipartition (i.e. minimum energy) conditions by comparing the equipartition magnetic fields of 5 High Frequency Peakers (HFP) with values directly

For the long-lasting impact of CoRoT's planet findings, precise knowledge of the times of their transits is of vital importance for any future observing campaigns. Here we give the motivation and first results of a systematic revisit of the transits of most CoRoT planets to refine their ephemeris. As secondary objectives, more precise planet