Context. Transiting super-Earths orbiting bright stars in short orbital periods are interesting targets for the study of planetary atmospheres. Aims: While selecting super-Earths suitable for further characterisation from the ground from a list of confirmed and validated exoplanets detected by K2, we found some suspicious cases that led to us

Sunspots are restricted to a latitude band within 30degof the solar equator. In contrast, the latitudes of spots on the surfaces of rapidly rotating cool stars can range from their polar regions, for RS CVn systems and for T Tauri stars leaving the Hayashi track, to mid latitudes for stars close to or on the main sequence. In order to find an

I take a critical look at the way in which electronic publishing has changed the world of publishing beyond recognition over the past decade. While the e-publishing revolution has brought many benefits to academic and research communication, there are a number of factors that inhibit the flow of information. I argue that a new publishing culture is

The optical properties of a number of supercompact ultraviolet luminous galaxies (UVLGs), recently discovered in the local universe matching Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data, are discussed. Detailed reanalysis of the SDSS data for these and other similar but nearer galaxies shows that their surface

The most frequently proposed model for the origin of quasars holds that the high accretion rates seen in luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN) are primarily triggered during major mergers between gas-rich galaxies. While plausible for decades, this model has only begun to be tested with statistical rigor in the past few years. Here, we report on a

We present Doppler and modulation tomography of the X-ray nova XTEJ1118+480 with data obtained during quiescence using the 10-m Keck II telescope. The hotspot where the gas stream hits the accretion disc is seen in Hα, Hβ, HeI λ5876 and CaII λ8662, thus verifying the presence of continued mass transfer within the system. The disc is clearly seen in