The formation of planetary systems is a natural byproduct of the star formation process. Planets can form inside the protoplanetary disk by two alternative processes. Either through a sequence of sticking collisions, the so-called sequential accretion scenario, or via gravitational instability from an over-dense clump inside the protoplanetary disk. The first process is believed to have occurred in the solar system. The most important steps in this process will be outlined. The observed orbital properties of exoplanetary systems are distinctly different from our own Solar System. In particular, their small distance from the star, their high eccentricity and large mass point to the existence of a phase with strong mutual excitations. These are believed to be a result of early evolution of planets due to planet-disk interaction. The importance of this process in shaping the dynamical structure of planetary systems will be presented.

In this short review, I summarize some of the salient features of the emerging theory of exoplanets in general, and of giant exoplanets in particular. A focus is on the characterization of transiting planets at primary and secondary eclipse, but various other related topics are covered, if only briefly. A theme that clearly emerges is that a vibrant new science of comparative exoplanetology is being born.

In close eclipsing binaries, measurements of the variations in the binary's eclipse timing may be used to infer information about the existence of planets in P-Type motion. To study the possibility of detecting such planets with CoRoT and Kepler, we calculated eclipse timing variations (ETV) for different values of the mass and orbital elements of the perturbing planet. These investigations are a continuation of the work of Schwarz et al. (2011).

Up to now, more than 500 extra-solar planets have been discovered. Many of these extrasolar systems consist of one star and only one giant planet. However, recently more and more different types of systems have become known, including also extrasolar planets in binaries. In our study, we will concentrate on such systems, since a large percentage of all G-M stars are expected to be part of binary or multiple stellar systems. Therefore, these kinds of systems are worthy of investigation in detail. In particular, we will concentrate on planets in P-Type motion, where the planet orbits around both stars. During the last few years, four such systems (NN Ser, HW Vir, HU Aqr and DP Leo) have been discovered. In our study, we performed dynamical studies for three multi-planetary systems in binaries (NN Ser, HW Vir, HU Aqr), and compared simulated eclipse timing variations (ETV) to current observational data.

The spectral energy distributions (SEDs) have being simulated for 1120 systems that contain brown dwarfs with different physical parameters and protoplanetary disks that are inclined at different angles. The SED's shape dependence on disk inclination toward the observer is discussed.

The stability of planetary motion in the binary system α Cen A–B is studied. Lyapunov spectra of the motion of the system with a single massive planet are computed on a fine grid of the initial data, and, by means of statistical analysis of the obtained data arrays, chaotic domains are identified in the “pericentric distance — eccentricity” initial data space for the planetary orbit. Association with the initial data domains for the orbits exhibiting close encounters with central stars and for the orbits exhibiting long-term escape is investigated.

In order to trace the role of binarity for disk evolution and hence planet formation, we started the currently largest spatially resolved near-infrared photometric and spectroscopic study of the inner dust and accretion disks of the individual components of 27 visual, 100–400 AU binaries in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). We study the frequency of Brackett-γ (2.165μm) emitters to assess the frequency of accretion disk-bearing stars among the binaries of the ONC: only 34±9% of the binary components show signs of accretion and, hence, the presence of gaseous inner disks—less than the fraction of gas accretion disks among single stars of the ONC of ~50%. Additionally, we find a significant difference between binaries above and below 200 AU separation: no close systems with only one accreting component are found. The results suggest shortened disk lifetimes as well as synchronized disk evolution.

We present preliminary results of the first near-infrared variability study of the Arches cluster, using adaptive optics data from NIRI/Gemini and NACO/VLT. The goal is to discover eclipsing binaries in this young (2.5 ± 0.5 Myr), dense, massive cluster for which we will determine accurate fundamental parameters with subsequent spectroscopy. Given that the Arches cluster contains more than 200 Wolf-Rayet and O-type stars, it provides a rare opportunity to determine parameters for some of the most massive stars in the Galaxy.

We discuss the origin and evolution of low mass contact binaries with Porb shorter than 0.3 d that have properties somewhat different from the rest of the contact binaries. A comparison of an evolutionary model set with observations shows that both components are on the main sequence, the age of the binaries is at least several Gyr, while the contact phase lasts only less than 1 Gyr.

The kinematic behaviour of 362 chromospherically active binary stars (CABs) in the solar neighbourhood were investigated. The Third CABs Catalog by Eker et al. (2008) was used as the main source. The spatial distribution and the components of the Galactic space velocities of the programme stars were determined. The effects of differential rotation and Local Standard of Rest (LSR) were corrected for all systems.

Forty probable moving group (MG) members were determined by Eggen's criteria. The kinematic age of the young systems, which are probable members of MGs, was calculated as 0.79 (0.21) Gyr and the rest of 322 field stars were found to have a kinematic age of 4.38 (1.1) Gyr. Field CABs were separated into two sub-groups: dwarf systems, which were formed by main sequence (dwarf) stars, and evolved systems included at least one evolved (giant or sub-giant) component. The kinematic age of 134 dwarf systems was calculated as 4.69 (0.75) Gyr and 4.15 (1.29) Gyr for 188 evolved CABs.

Binary/multiple properties provide clues to the formation of stars. In the AstraLux binary survey, we use the Lucky Imaging technique to search for companions to a large sample of young, nearby M dwarfs. We present results from observations of the first sub-sample, consisting of 124 M dwarfs in the southern sky.

WEBDA (http://www.univie.ac.at/webda) is a site devoted to observational data of stellar clusters in the Milky Way and the Small Magellanic Cloud. It is intended to provide a reliable presentation of the available data and knowledge about these objects. The success of WEBDA is documented by its worldwide usage and the related acknowledgements in the literature: more than 650 refereed publications within the last twelve years acknowledged its use. It collects all published data for stars in open clusters that may be useful either to determine membership, or to study the stellar content and properties of the clusters.

The database content includes astrometric data in the form of coordinates, rectangular positions, and proper motions, photometric data in the major systems in which star clusters have been observed, but also spectroscopic data like spectral classification, radial velocities, and rotational velocities. It also contains miscellaneous types of supplementary data like membership probabilities, orbital elements of spectroscopic binaries, and periods for different kinds of variable stars as well as an extensive bibliography. Several powerful tools help to plot, query and extract the data, which can be directly retrieved via http. At the time of writing, about four million individual measurements have been included in the database. The Star Clusters Young & Old Newsletter (SCYON), a bi-monthly newsletter devoted to star cluster research with about 600 subscribers, is hosted in parallel with the database.

We present the current and upcoming new interface and tools, which are needed to visualize and analyze the increasing amount of data from all-sky surveys, and deeper investigations of binary systems, low mass dwarfs, as well as planet-hosting stars.

The orbital angular momenta OAM (J) of detached binaries (including both cool and hot binaries) were estimated and nine subgroups were formed according to their OAM (J) distribution. The mean kinematical ages of all subgroups have been estimated by using their space velocity distributions and, thus, the age dependent variations of the mean OAM (J), orbital period (P), and total mass (M) of all subgroups were investigated. It was discovered that: i) The orbital period of detached binaries with radiative components decrease very slowly during the main sequence (MS) evolution. It is interesting that the large amount of mass loss is almost balanced by the OAM loss, and not much change in the orbital periods is observed. ii) The nuclear evolution of radiative components beyond the MS initiates the increase of the periods until the components have convective upper layers, i.e. until they become later than F5 IV, and the system becomes a cool binary with sub-giant or giant components. iii) The large co-rotating distance of the magnetically-driven wind in cool binaries (CAB) carries out a large amount of OAM and then the periods of such binaries decrease significantly, and the orbits shrink until another effect such as mass transfer dominates the period changes.

It is well known that stars with orbiting giant planets have a higher metallic content than stars without detected planets. In addition, we have found that solar-type stars with planets present an extra Li depletion when compared with field stars. On the other hand, Be needs a greater temperature to be destroyed, so we may find such a relation in cooler stars, whose convective envelopes are deep enough to carry material to layers where Be can be burned. We present Li and Be abundances for an extensive sample of stars with and without detected planets, covering a wide range of effective temperatures (4700-6500 K) with the aim of studying possible differences between the abundances of both groups. The processes that take place in the formation of planetary systems may affect the mixing of material inside their host stars and hence the abundances of light elements.

Binary systems with compact components and some newly discovered systems with relatively short orbital periods are studied as gravitational-wave sources. The gravitational wave amplitudes of these systems have been compared with the limit of gravitational wave interferometers (e.g. LISA, LIGO, and VIRGO).

The ionizing star of the planetary nebula NGC 2392 is too cool to explain the high excitation of the nebular shell, and an additional ionizing source is necessary. We use photoionization modeling to estimate the temperature and luminosity of the putative companion. Our results show it is likely to be a very hot (Teff ≃ 250 kK), dense white dwarf. If the stars form a close binary, they may merge within a Hubble time, possibly producing a Type Ia supernova.

A sample of about 160 speckle binary stars was observed with the Keck I telescope and its Échelle HIRES spectrograph over the years 2003-2007 in an effort to detect substellar and planetary companions to components of binary and multiple star systems. This data set was supplemented with the data obtained at the TNG telescope equipped with the SARG Échelle spectrograph over the years 2006-2007. The high-resolution (R = 65000 for HIRES and R = 86000 for SARG) and high signal-to-noise (typically 75-150) spectra were used to derive radial velocities of the components of the observed speckle binaries. Here, we present a summary of this effort, which includes the discovery of new triple star systems and improved orbital solutions of a few known binaries.

We propose a new approach for a solution of the planet transit problem that is based on numerical calculation of integrals. The paper presents our method for the case of linear limb-darkening law and orbital inclination i = 90°, and illustrates the work of the code PTS written on the basis of our approach.

Black hole X-ray binaries with large mass ratios and short orbital periods are expected to change their orbital period due to magnetic breaking, mass loss, gravitational radiation, or mass evaporation of the black hole in alternative descriptions of gravity, like in braneworld gravity scenarios.

The black hole X-ray binary XTE J1118+480, consisting of a late-type secondary star orbiting a ~ 8 M⊙ black hole in a 4.1-hr period, offers a unique opportunity to test these models. New spectroscopic data allow us to determine the time of the inferior conjunction of the secondary star at different epochs. Observations over a 10 year span will provide constraints on the rate of any orbital period change.

We present here a preliminary radial velocity curve obtained with the 10.4m GTC telescope equipped with OSIRIS medium-resolution spectrograph, as part of an ongoing long-term program to study the orbital period evolution in this binary.

We use more than three decades-long photometry to study the activity patterns on the two fast-rotating subgiant components in EI Eri (G5IV) and V711 Tau (K1IV). From yearly mean rotational periods from the light curves, we find that EI Eri, with well-measured solar-type differential rotation, always has spots from the equator to high latitudes. The measured differential rotation of V711 Tau is controversial, and in any case is very small. The spots on the K1IV star in V711 Tau seem to be tidally locked. The physical parameters of the two systems are similar, with one remarkable difference: EI Eri has a low mass M4-5 dwarf companion, whereas V711 Tau has a G5V star in the system, thus their mass centers are in very different positions. This may modify the whole internal structure of the active stars, causing marked differences in their surface features.