Aims: Finding potential life harboring exo-Earths with future telescopes is one of the aims of exoplanetary science. Detecting signatures of life in exoplanets will likely first be accomplished by determining the bulk composition of the planetary atmosphere via reflected or transmitted spectroscopy. However, a complete understanding of the

We performed the largest and most homogeneous spectroscopic survey of field RR Lyraes (RRLs). We secured ≍6300 high-resolution (HR, R ∼ 35,000) spectra for 143 RRLs (111 fundamental, RRab; 32 first-overtone, RRc). The atmospheric parameters were estimated by using the traditional approach and the iron abundances were measured by using an LTE line

Interstellar dust grain alignment causes polarization from UV to mm wavelengths, allowing the study of the geometry and strength of the magnetic field. Over the last couple of decades, observations and theory have led to the establishment of the radiative alignment torque mechanism as a leading candidate to explain the effect. With a quantitatively

Aims: We aim to study the spot evolution and differential rotation in the magnetically active cool K-type giant star σ Gem from broadband photometry and continuous spectroscopic observations that span 150 nights. Methods: We use high-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra obtained with the Hertzsprung SONG telescope to reconstruct surface

Since the discovery of chemically peculiar stars in globular clusters in the last century, the study of multiple populations has become increasingly important, given that chemical inhomogeneity is found in almost all globular clusters. Despite various proposed theories attempting to explain this phenomenon, fitting all the observational evidence in