The conference poster includes a very apt phrase that describes a primary motivation for this conference: Time discovers truth. This aphorism, attributed to Seneca, was certainly affirmed by the many exciting talks and discussions at this conference, in both formal and informal settings.

The observation of transit light curves has become a key technique in the study of exoplanets, since modeling the resulting transit photometry yields a wealth of information on the planetary systems. Considering that the limited accuracy of ground-based photometry does directly translate into uncertainties in the derived model parameters, simplified spherical planet models were appropriate in the past. With the advent of space-based instrumentation capable of providing photometry of unprecedented accuracy, however, a need for more realistic models has arisen.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed up to redshifts z > 9.3 are fascinating objects to study due to their still unexplained relativistic outburst mechanisms and a possible use to test cosmological models. Our analysis of all GRB afterglows with known redshifts and definite plateau (100 GRBs) reveals not only that the luminosity L*X(Ta) - break time T*a correlation, called hereafter LT, (Dainotti et al. 2010a) is confirmed with higher value of the Spearman correlation coefficient for the new updated sample, but also reveals its intrinsic nature throughout the analysis of the Efron & Petrosian (1992) test. The above mentioned test is performed to check if there is redshift evolution in both the luminosity and time. This test shows that the correlation still holds probing that its nature is intrinsic and it is not due to selection biases. The novelty of this approach is that the Efron & Petrosian method has been applied for the first time for a two parameter correlation that involves not only luminosities, but also time. Notwithstanding the intrinsic nature of the correlation, the correction of the observables for the effect of redshift evolution does not lead to a significantly tighter correlation and thus to a better redshift estimator. Therefore, the usage of the L*a correlation is limited, at least with the present data analysis, to constrain physical models of plateau emission. With an enlarged data sample in the future the aim will be to make the luminosity time correlation a useful redshift estimator.

U Scorpii was observed in outburst for the tenth time in January 2010. We obtained optical and near-infrared spectroscopy from which we derive a helium abundance of N(He)/N(H) = 0.056±0.020 from the most reliable lines available; this is lower than most other estimates and indicates that the secondary is not helium-rich, as previous studies have suggested. Velocities are found to be up to 14,000 km s−1 in broad components and up to 1,800 km s−1 in narrow line components. The reddening of U Sco is found to be E(B-V) = 0.14 ± 0.12.

The Magellanic Clouds are close enough to the Milky Way to provide an excellent environment in which to study extragalactic PNe. Most of these PNe are bright enough to be spectroscopically observed and spatially resolved. With the latest high resolution detectors on today's large telescopes it is even possible to directly observe a large number of central stars. Magellanic Cloud (MC) PNe provide several astrophysical benefits including low overall extinction and a good sample size covering a large range of dynamic evolutionary timescales while the known distances provide a direct estimation of luminosity and physical dimensions. Multi-wavelength surveys are revealing intriguing differences between MC and Galactic PNe.

Over the past 5 years there has been a substantial increase in the number of PNe discovered in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) in particular. Deep surveys have allowed the faint end of the luminosity function to be investigated, finally providing a strong clue to its overall shape. In so doing, the surveys are approaching completeness, estimated at ~80% in the LMC (~120 deg2) and ~65% in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) (~20 deg2).

The number of galaxies comprising the Local Group (LG) and its outskirts has been growing steadily over the past 5 years and now numbers 48. Most of the 7 newly discovered galaxies are dwarf spheroidal (dSph) in structure and range from 7.6 to 755 kpc from the Milky Way. Nonetheless, there are no published searches for PNe in any of these galaxies to date. Apart from the LMC and Milky Way, the number of PN discoveries has been very modest and only one additional LG galaxy has been surveyed for PNe over the past 5 years. This paper provides the number of Local Group PNe currently known and estimates each galaxy's total PN population.

The study of orientations is a key ingredient in most archaeoastronomical research. Typically, a number of synchronistic monuments belonging to a given culture or cultural horizon are measured and studied in order to see if they share a similar orientation. If an astronomical orientation appears, we may apply other archaeoastronomical procedures to justify further conclusions.

On a few occasions we perform studies that compare, for a given site, monuments of different periods. At most two or three periods are usually compared to verify persistence or to check for evolution in customs of orientation. We argue here that it would also be interesting to study orientations from a diachronic point of view, in order to investigate the persistence/evolution of this particular conception of space through time.

Mérida (Extremadura, Spain) and the neighbouring areas present a rich and highly interesting monumental heritage spanning from the Neolithic to the present, with monuments belonging to several different periods and cultures.

In the present study we will review the orientation of the monuments in that area. We will present some conclusions on the evolution/persistence of customs of orientation and value the applicability of this method to other areas.

I review the X-ray emission from cool stars with outer convection zones in comparison to the Sun with a focus on the properties of low-activity stars. I present the recent results of long-term X-ray monitoring which demonstrate the existence of X-ray cycles on stars with known calcium cycles. The evidence of a minimum stellar X-ray flux is presented and arguments are put forward for the view that the Sun in its extended minimum between 2008 - 2009 behaved very much like a Maunder-minimum Sun.

With deep imaging at 3.6 and 4.5 μm where the light in nearby galaxies is dominated by old stars, the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Nearby Galaxies (S4G) promises to be the ultimate inventory of stellar mass and structure in the local universe. We present results from a novel technique that makes it possible to fully exploit the information contained in these images, pertaining not only to the stellar light (and, ultimately, mass distribution), but also the nature and distribution of the mid-IR dust and the properties of evolved, intermediate age stars (e.g. in AGB-dominated star clusters). We apply Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to the 3.6 and 4.5 μm bands to separate the light from the old stars from the secondary non-stellar (i.e. PAH and hot dust) sources of emission, which are identified via comparison to the non-stellar emission imaged at 8 μm. Then, within the context of age and mass estimation at high z, we extract optical-to-mid-IR SEDs for a sample of ICA-identified AGB-dominated clusters to constrain the typically uncertain fractional contribution of AGB light to the total stellar emission in (rest-frame) NIR bands.

The number of contributions to the Symposium was so high that only the review and invited talks have found place, in the form of articles, in this volume. This Appendix lists all these additional contributions (oral and posters) which are not present as articles. The abstracts of all contributions were published in a booklet produced by the Local Organizing Committee and are available at the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS). More information on these contributions (PowerPoint presentations and/or articles) have been made public in the Internet web site of the conference (http://cab.inta-csic.es/molecular_universe/).

It has been theoretically predicted many decades ago that extremely massive stars that develop large oxygen cores will become dynamically unstable, due to electron-positron pair production. The collapse of such oxygen cores leads to powerful thermonuclear explosions that unbind the star and can produce, in some cases, many solar masses of radioactive 56Ni. For many years, no examples of this process were observed in nature. Here, I briefly review recent observations of luminous supernovae that likely result from pair-instability explosions, in the nearby and distant Universe.

19 Workshops were held during IAU S285. 15 submitted reports of the discussions that took place, while for the remaining 4 we have reproduced the summaries that were available on our wiki prior to the Symposium.

The Commission on Photometry and Polarimetry has a long and distinguished history in the IAU and its contributions to astronomy have been extensive and profound. Its efforts are centered on the issues of atmospheric extinction, photometric passbands, transformations among photometric systems, and calibration. Photometric and polarimetric techniques and standardization are essential tools in our exploration and investigation of astronomical objects and astrophysical quantities.

We present new transit observations of the transiting exoplanet TrES-3b obtained in the range 2009 – 2011 at several observatories. The orbital parameters of the system were redetermined and the new linear ephemeris was calculated. We performed numerical simulations for studying the long-term stability of orbits.

If recurrent novae (RNe) are progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia), their white dwarfs (WD) must have masses close to the Chandrasekhar limit. The most reliable means of determining WD masses in RNe is dynamically, via radial-velocity and rotational-broadening measurements of the companion star. Such measurements require the system to be both eclipsing and to show absorption features from the secondary star. The only other reliable RNe mass estimate is for U Sco, which has a WD mass of 1.55 ± 0.24 M⊙ (Thoroughgood et al. 2001).

We present new time-resolved, intermediate-resolution spectroscopy of the eclipsing RN CI Aql during quiescence. We find the mass of the WD to be 1.02 ± 0.08 M⊙ and the mass of the secondary star to be 2.41 ± 0.2 M⊙. We estimate the radius of the secondary to be 2.10 ± 0.07 R⊙. The high mass ratio of q=2.37 ± 0.15 and the high secondary star mass suggests that mass transfer occurs on a thermal timescale. We suggest that CI Aql is evolving into a supersoft x-ray source, and ultimately will explode as an SN Ia.

In a recent study based on the modelling of spatially resolved Spitzer and Herschel observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), we have shown that the infrared (IR) to submillimetre (submm) grain opacities are systematically higher in the LMC than in our Galaxy. This discovery demonstrates an evolution of the dust properties with environment. Here, we discuss the consequences of this evolution on the modelling of SEDs of galaxies, emphasizing that the uncertainties on the grain properties can lead to erroneous interpretations of the structure of the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies, if no additional independent constraints are used.

Since Galileo, for four hundred years, dark spots have been observed systematically on the surface of the Sun. The monitoring of the sunspot number has shown that their number varies periodically every 11 years. This is the well-known solar activity cycle that is caused by the periodic changes of the magnetic field of the Sun. Not only do spots vary in number on a timescale of a decade, but the total luminosity and other signatures of activity such as flares and coronal mass ejections also increase and decrease with the 11-year cycle. Still unexplained to the present date are periods of decades with almost an absence of activity, where the best known example is the Maunder Minimum. Other stars also exhibit signs of cyclic activity, however the level of activity is usually thousand times higher than the solar one. Obviously, this is due to the difficulty of observing activity at the solar level on most stars. Presently, a method has been developed to detect and study individual solar like spots on the surface of planet-harbouring stars. As the planet eclipses dark patches on the surface of the star, a detectable signature can be observed in the light curve of the star during the transit. The study of a different variety of stars allows for a better understanding of magnetic cycles and the evolution of stars.

Galactic post-AGB stars show a large diversity in chemical compositions as well as in the kinematical and geometrical properties of their circumstellar material. The theoretical interpretation is hampered by the lack of good distances to almost all Galactic objects. We therefore initiated a large project to study systematically post-AGB stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Cloud (LMC, SMC respectively). Here we report on our preliminary results.

Archaeological excavations carried out at Turó del Calvari (Tarragona, Spain) have revealed a protohistoric building interpreted as one of the earliest enclosures of power operating during the Early Iron Age in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The structure is exceptional in several respects: the techniques of construction, the materials used, and the topographic situation. The building is perfectly integrated in the landscape and has an exquisite geometrical design, with measurement units based on the Iberian foot. The intended beauty in having used the golden ratio in its construction and an orientation that is both stellar and solar demonstrates the existence at that time of a complete series of mechanisms of representation and territorial control. This was based on the use of rituals and feasts as elements of political cohesion by an emergent elite within a process that reproduced a scaled-down Mediterranean cultural system in an indigenous space.