“Gas Density Histogram (GDH)” is an observational counterpart of the probability density function (PDF) of the gas density of interstellar medium (ISM). We used 12CO data in (l, b) = (29°, 0) region from “FOREST unbiased galactic imaging survey with Nobeyama 45-m telescope (FUGIN)”, which is a large coverage survey in three CO (1-0) lines. Using the kinetic distance, we estimated the volume density of the voxel from the observed column density. The resultant GDHs of the inter-arm regions show lognormal or lognormal-like, but those in the spiral arm regions show flat-top shape.

Understanding the peculiar properties of Ultra Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs) via spectroscopic analysis is a challenging task that is now becoming feasible. The advent of 10m-class telescopes and high sensitivity instruments is enabling the gathering of high quality spectra even for the faintest systems. In addition, advances in the modelling of stellar populations, stellar libraries, and full-spectral fitting codes are allowing the recovery of the stellar content shaping those spectra with unprecedented reliability. In this contribution we report on the extensive tests we have carried out using the inversion code STECKMAP. The similarities between the Star Formation Histories (SFH) recovered from STECKMAP (applied to high-quality spectra) and deep Colour-Magnitude diagrams fitting (resolved stars) in two Local Group dwarf galaxies (LMC and LeoA) are remarkable, demonstrating the impressive performance of STECKMAP. We exploit the capabilities of STECKMAP and perform one of the most complete and reliable characterisations of the stellar component of UDGs to date using deep spectroscopic data. We measure radial and rotation velocities, SFHs and mean population parameters, such as ages and metallicities, for a sample of five UDG candidates in the Coma cluster. From the radial velocities, we confirm the Coma membership of these galaxies. We find that their rotation properties, if detected at all, are compatible with dwarf-like galaxies. The SFHs of the UDG are dominated by old (∼ 7 Gyr), metal-poor ([M/H] ∼ -1.1) and alpha-enhanced ([Mg/Fe]∼ 0.4) populations followed by a smooth or episodic decline which halted ∼ 2 Gyr ago, possibly a sign of cluster-induced quenching. We find no obvious correlation between individual SFH shapes and any UDG morphological properties. The recovered stellar properties for UDGs are similar to those found for DDO 44, a local UDG analogue resolved into stars. We conclude that the UDGs in our sample are extended dwarfs whose properties are likely the outcome of both internal processes, such as bursty SFHs and/or high-spin haloes, as well as environmental effects within the Coma cluster.

A common thought in the 1950s was that galaxies rotate because they are remnants of primeval currents, as in turbulence. But this idea is quite unacceptable in an expanding universe described by general relativity theory. Since we are no smarter now than in the 1950s the lesson I draw is that we do well on occasion to pause to consider whether we might be missing something. An example is the pure disk galaxies that are so common nearby and so rare in simulations. We have something to learn from this.

We conducted global hydrodynamic simulations of protoplanetary disk evolution with an adaptive Shakura-Sunyaev α prescription to represent the layered disk structure, and starting with the collapse phase of the molecular cloud. With the canonical values of model parameters, self-consistent dead zones formed at the scale of a few au. The instabilities associated with the dead zone and corresponding outbursts, similar to FUor eruptions, were also observed in the simulations.

We present here the results obtained from studying the resolved stellar populations of two dwarf irregular galaxies in the nearby Universe. These galaxies, DDO 68 and NGC 4449, were studied within the Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey, an HST program aimed to uncover the many ways in which the star formation (SF) process occurs at different scales. Thanks to the deep photometry obtained in different bands (from λ2704 Å to λ8057 Å), we were able to connect the location and timescales of the star forming regions within the galaxies to merging and interaction with gas clouds and satellites, a crucial aspect of galaxy evolution, even in such small systems. From the color-magnitude diagrams of the analyzed galaxies we were able to recover their star formation history (up to ∼ 2 − 3 Gyr ago since we do not observe the oldest main sequence turn-off or horizontal branch, due to the systems’ distance), finding that the SF never really stopped, but proceeded continuously even with the succession of high and low activity. The time intervals where we find higher SF rates in the two galaxies well agree with the dynamical timescales of previous interactions events, which might represent a major channel for triggering the SF in relatively isolated galaxies.

Detailed analyses of observations by the Kepler satellite may reveal unknown facts about objects that were previously regarded as eclipsing binaries. We present results of our analysis of such an object, KIC 3832716. We show that the system actually contains two eclipsing binaries (EB1 and EB2), with orbital periods of 1.14 and 2.17 days, orbiting around their common centre of mass with period of at least 1400 days and with an estimated mass ratio of 0.7 ± 0.3. Analyses of the (O–C) diagrams of both eclipsing pairs show three different types of variation: (i) long-term changes probably due to light-time effects, (ii) spikes caused by the superposition of the eclipses of both binaries, and (iii) semi-regular variations in EB1 with a period of 57 days, presumably caused by the presence of spots on its secondary component.

Stars in globular clusters lose mass through slow stellar winds that are retained by the stellar cluster and should contribute to build up a non-negligible intracluster medium over time. However, all the observations so far found only a negligible amount of gas in GCs. We propose here to test different mechanisms such as ram-pressure stripping by the motion of the GC in the Galactic halo medium and the inclusion of ionising sources to explain the lack of gas in GCs. We use full 3D hydrodynamical simulations taking into account stellar winds, ionising radiation, radiative heating and radiative pressure. We find that the combined effect of ram-pressure and ionisation are able to explain the negligible amount of gas observed in the core of intermediate-mass and massive GCs.

We present JHK observations of the metal-poor $$(\left[ {{\rm{Fe}}/{\rm{H}}} \right] < - 1.40)$$ dwarf-irregular galaxies, Leo A and Sextans A, obtained with the WIYN High-resolution Infrared Camera. Their near-IR stellar populations are characterized by using a combination of color-magnitude diagrams and by identifying long-period variable (LPV) stars. We detected red giant and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, consistent with membership of the galaxy’s intermediate-age populations (2-8 Gyr old). We identify 32 dusty evolved stars in Leo A and 101 dusty stars in Sextans A, confirming that metal-poor stars can form substantial amounts of dust. We also find tentative evidence for oxygen-rich dust formation at low metallicity, contradicting previous models that suggest oxygen-rich dust production is inhibited in metal-poor environments. The majority of this dust is produced by a few very dusty evolved stars.

Until a decade ago, galaxy formation simulations were unable to simultaneously reproduce the observed angular momentum (AM) of galaxy disks and bulges. Improvements in the interstellar medium and stellar feedback modelling, together with advances in computational capabilities, have allowed the current generation of cosmological galaxy formation simulations to reproduce the diversity of AM and morphology that is observed in local galaxies. In this review I discuss where we currently stand in this area from the perspective of hydrodynamical simulations, specifically how galaxies gain their AM, and the effect galaxy mergers and gas accretion have on this process. I discuss results which suggest that a revision of the classical theory of disk formation is needed, and by discussing what the current challenges are.

In recent years, we have gathered enough evidence showing that most of the Galactic globular clusters extend well beyond their King tidal radii and fill their Jacobi radii in the form of “extended stellar haloes”. In some cases, because of the interaction with the Milky Way, stars are able to exceed the Jacobi radius, generating tidal tails which may be used to trace the mass distribution in the Galaxy. In this work, we use the precious information provided by the space mission Gaia (photometry, parallaxes and proper motions) to analyze NGC 362 in the search for member stars in its surroundings. Our preliminar results suggest that it is possible to identify member stars and tidal features up to distances of a few degrees from the globular cluster center.

We report on our search for spectroscopic binaries among a sample of AGB stars. Observations were carried out in the framework of the monitoring of radial velocities of (candidate) binary stars performed at the Mercator 1.2m telescope, using the HERMES spectrograph. We found evidence for duplicity in UV Cam, TU Tau, BL Ori, VZ Per, T Dra, and V Hya.

The scenario of star cluster formation can be better understood based on the detailed study of the dynamical conditions of the associated gas, clustering properties and effects of ionizing sources, among others. Some of these characteristics are explored in our ongoing work based on observations with the SOAR and T80-S telescopes. With these data we have obtained a complete multi-band photometric catalogue of selected clusters that we characterize using color-color diagrams and flux ratios. In particular, this work is focused on SOAR/Spartan (near-infrared) observations of the Canis Major star-forming region.

Dwarf galaxies constitute 18% of the galaxies in the core of the Coma Cluster. We present the correlation between structural properties and morphology of galaxies in the central region of Coma Cluster for 221 objects within the apparent magnitude range m < 19.5. The data is taken from the HST/ACS Coma Cluster Treasury Survey. For cluster membership we have used photometric redshifts and spectroscopic redshifts from literature. From the investigation of correlations of effective radius, Sersic index, absolute magnitude and bulge to total light ratio, we find the galaxies are distributed as follows: dwarfs 18%, E/SO 33%, SO 22%, Sb & Sb0 17% and 10% are Spirals+Irregulars+Ring. We found that multiple component fits are best for giants and the single Sersic fit is best for dwarfs & spiral galaxies. We shall try to explain why the single Sersic fit is best for dwarfs and what kind of stellar orbits do they correspond to using the bulge Sersic index of dwarfs.

Despite the expectation of a high supernova rate in luminous infra-red galaxies (LIRGs), a deficit has been discovered in optical surveys that is due to high levels of extinction by dust and to issues of contrast against the bright nuclear background. Searching in the near infra-red enables observations to penetrate that dust, while using adaptive-optics achieves the resolution required to observe supernovæ close to the nuclei of those galaxies. Over the last decade multiple observing programmes using the best AO instrumentation mounted on large telscopes have accumulated a dataset of many LIRGs, and met with much greater success in discovering nuclear supernovæ. However, a significant proportion is still being missed. By using techniques to evaluate our detection efficiency in these data, and simulations of the supernovæ occuring in the galaxies, we can evaluate the nature of these transients.

We have used the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations to measure proper motion of the globular cluster NGC 6656 (M22) with respect to the background bulge stars and its internal velocity dispersion profile. Based on the proper motion of the clusters, its space velocity and orbit are also calculated. The central velocity dispersion in radial and tangential components of the internal motion of cluster stars is 16.99 km s−1. We derive the mass-to-light ratio M/LV∼3.3 ± 0.2 which is relatively higher than the previous works.

The initial mass function (IMF) is a profoundly studied subject, however its origin is still unclear and heavily disputed. The Core Mass Function (CMF) has a remarkable resemblance to a shifted IMF along the mass axis of a factor of 3. This CMF has been observed amongst others in the Pipe Nebula, a calm molecular cloud at approximately 130 pc. We study the origin of the CMF under the assumption that collisions and merging of prestellar cores shape the CMF. We present our preliminary results of core collisions for the well known FeSt 1-457.

I review the insights emerging from recent large kinematic surveys of galaxies at low redshift, with particular reference to the SAMI, CALIFA and MaNGA surveys. These new observations provide a more comprehensive picture of the angular momentum properties of galaxies over wide ranges in mass, morphology and environment in the present-day universe. I focus on the distribution of angular momentum within galaxies of various types and the relationship between mass, morphology and specific angular momentum. I discuss the implications of the new results for models of galaxy assembly.

The Kepler Input Catalogue (KIC) misclassified a number of red giant stars as sub giants. This could have resulted from the large uncertainties in the KIC surface gravities. This resulted in 1523 stars which were recently classified as red giant stars. The cluster membership of the 1523 red giant stars was determined using age, distance modulus, and variation of colour magnitude with large frequency separation. We found that one star, KIC 5110739, is a member of NGC 6819.

We compare the properties of stellar populations for globular clusters (GCs) and field stars in two dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs): ESO269-66, a close neighbour of NGC5128, and KKs3, one of the few isolated dSphs within 10 Mpc. We analyse the surface density profiles of low and high metallicity (blue and red) stars in two galaxies using the Sersic law. We argue that 1) the density profiles of red stars are steeper than those of blue stars, which evidences in favour of the metallicity and age gradients in dSphs; 2) globular clusters in KKs3 and ESO 269-66 contain 4 and 40 percent of all stars with [Fe / H] ~ 1.6 dex and the age of 12 Gyr, correspondingly. Therefore, GCs are relics of the first powerful star-forming bursts in the central regions of the galaxies. KKs 3 has lost a smaller percentage of old low-metallicity stars than ESO269-66, probably, thanks to its isolation.

Stars are the main ingredients of galaxies, and the sites of the creation of most chemical elements in our universe. The knowledge that we gain from studying nearby resolved stellar populations assists directly our ability to measure the properties of distant galaxies. The overall objective of this project is to study galaxy formation and evolution in a complete environment of the dwarf galaxies in the Local Group, by using the same methods for all of them. For that purpose, we used the INT to conduct a monitoring survey of the majority of Local-Group dwarf galaxies in order to identify the most evolved AGB stars that are long-period variables (LPV). LPV stars reach their maximum brightness amplitudes at optical wavelengths, owing to changes in temperature. They trace stellar populations as young as ∼30 Myr up to as old as ∼10 Gyr, and identifying them is one of the best ways of reconstructing star-formation history using a method that we have developed and applied successfully to other Local-Group galaxies. Since the luminosity variations span 100–1000 days, we planned observations over 10 epochs, spaced ∼3 months apart; 9 epochs of data have so far been obtained.