Large fullerenes and fullerene-based molecules have been proposed as carriers of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). The recent detection of the most common fullerenes (C60 and C70) around some Planetary Nebulae (PNe) now enable us to study the DIBs in fullerene-rich space environments. We have studied the presence of DIBs in the optical spectra (

The outburst of the unusual transient V838 Monocerotis in 2002 illuminated surrounding interstellar dust, producing the most spectacular light echoes in astronomical history. The echoes remained visible for several years. Because of the light-echo geometry, each imaging observation corresponds uniquely to a well-defined paraboloidal region of space

Aims: We derive the thermal inertia of 2008 EV5, the baseline target for the Marco Polo-R mission proposal, and infer information about the size of the particles on its surface. Methods: Values of thermal inertia were obtained by fitting an asteroid thermophysical model to NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) infrared data. Grain size

We propose and use Bayesian techniques for the determination of physical parameters in solar prominence plasmas, combining observational and theoretical properties of waves and oscillations. The Bayesian approach also enables to perform model comparison to assess how plausible alternative physical models/mechanisms are in view of data.

We study the evolution of the dust temperature of galaxies in the SFR- M∗ plane up to z ~ 2 using far-infrared and submillimetre observations from the Herschel Space Observatory taken as part of the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) and Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) guaranteed time key programmes. Starting from a sample of

Context. Over the past decade, 3D optical spectroscopy has become the preferred tool for understanding the properties of galaxies and is now increasingly used to carry out galaxy surveys. Low redshift surveys include SAURON, DiskMass, ATLAS3D, PINGS, and VENGA. At redshifts above 0.7, surveys such as MASSIV, SINS, GLACE, and IMAGES have targeted