Optical spectra (range 600-690 nm; resolution 6000) were obtained during the current outburst of this black hole binary on July 4.65-4.75 UT with the Siding Spring 2.3-m telescope (+ DBS CCD spectrograph), right after the first visual reports appeared via vsnet-obs and vsnet-alert. The spectra were dominated by a very strong and broad H-alpha

We have analyzed low angular degree (low-l) solar p-mode frequency shifts extracted from two types of observations, both made by instruments on board the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory satellite during a period that covers the rising phase of activity, cycle 23 (1995-2002). The first are full-disk (Sun-as-a-star) averages made in

We present estimates of CN and Mg overabundances with respect to Fe for early-type galaxies in eight clusters over a range of richness and morphology. Spectra were taken from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 1 and from William Hershel Telescope and Centro Astronómico Hispano-Alemán observations. Abundances were derived from absorption

Presently seven superbursters have been identified representing 10% of the total Galactic X-ray burster population. Four superbursters were discovered with the Wide Field Cameras (WFCs) on BeppoSAX and three with the All-Sky Monitor and Proportional Counter Array on RXTE. We discuss the properties of superbursters as derived from WFC observations

The data presented here concerns 39 clusters of southern hemisphere and 13 clusters of northern hemisphere. (4 data files).

We present high time-resolution multicolour observations of the quiescent soft X-ray transients V404 Cyg and XTE J1118+480 obtained with ULTRACAM. The power density spectrum (PDS) of the V404 Cyg data shows a quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) feature at 0.78 mHz (=21.5 min), whereas the PDS of the XTE J1118+480 data shows a break. We discuss the