The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) hosts a large number of high-mass X-ray binaries, and in particular of Be/X-ray Binaries (BeXRBs; neutron stars orbiting OBe-type stars), offering a unique laboratory to address the effect of metalicity. One key property of their optical companion is Hα in emission, which makes them bright sources when observed through a narrow-band Hα filter. We performed a survey of the SMC Bar and Wing regions using wide-field cameras (WFI@MPG/ESO and MOSAIC@CTIO/Blanco) in order to identify the counterparts of the sources detected in our XMM-Newton survey of the same area. We obtained broad-band R and narrow-band Hα photometry, and identified ~10000 Hα emission sources down to a sensitivity limit of 18.7 mag (equivalent to ~B8 type Main Sequence stars). We find the fraction of OBe/OB stars to be 13% down to this limit, and by investigating this fraction as a function of the brightness of the stars we deduce that Hα excess peaks at the O9-B2 spectral range. Using the most up-to-date numbers of SMC BeXRBs we find their fraction over their parent population to be ~0.002 − 0.025 BeXRBs/OBe, a direct measurement of their formation rate.

The present-day sample of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) and globular clusters (GCs) around NGC 1399 is interpreted to be composed of individual star cluster (SC) populations. It is assumed that such an SC population forms at a constant star-formation rate (SFR), and its mass distribution is described by the embedded cluster mass function (ECMF) up to the upper limit Mmax. The GCs and UCDs probably formed in interactions of the progenitor galaxies during the assembly of the central Fornax galaxy cluster which is why we use them as tracers of those events. After some corrections, the overall GC/UCD mass function is decomposed into separate SC populations, each described by an ECMF. Mmax of each ECMF is converted to an SFR according to the SFR-Mmax relation, revealing the SFRs reached during the assembly of galaxies in the central Fornax galaxy cluster.

Euclid is the ESA M2 mission and a milestone in the understanding of the geometry of the Universe. In total Euclid will produce up to 26 PB per year of observations. The Science Archive Systems (SAS) belongs to the Euclid Archive System (EAS) that sits in the core of the Euclid Science Ground Segment (SGS). The SAS is being built at the ESAC Science Data Centre (ESDC), which is responsible for the development and operations of the scientific archives for the Astronomy, Planetary and Heliophysics missions of ESA. The SAS is focused on the needs of the scientific community and is intended to provide access to the most valuable scientific metadata from the Euclid mission. In this paper we describe the architectural design of the system, implementation progress and the main challenges from the data management point of view in the building of the SAS.

We present some results obtained with a toy model developed in Trova et al. 2016 used to study the influence of the self-gravity on the equilibrium configurations of magnetized rotating self-gravitating gaseous tori, in the context of gaseous/dusty tori surrounding supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei. While the central black hole dominates the gravitational field and it remains electrically neutral, the surrounding material has a non-negligible self-gravitational effect on the torus structure. The vertical and radial structures of the torus are influenced by the balance between the gravitational and the magnetic force. By comparison with a previous work without self-gravity (Slany et al. 2016), we show that the conditions of existence of these configurations can change.

Thanks to incredible advances in instrumentation, surveys like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey have been able to find and catalog billions of objects, ranging from local M dwarfs to distant quasars. Machine learning algorithms have greatly aided in the effort to classify these objects; however, there are regimes where these algorithms fail, where interesting oddities may be found. We present here an X-ray bright quasar misidentified as a red supergiant/X-ray binary, and a subsequent search of the SDSS quasar catalog for X-ray bright stars misidentified as quasars.

We observed the Planetary Nebula NGC 6720 with the Gemini Telescope and the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs. We obtained spatial maps of 36 emission-lines in the wavelength range between 3600 Å and 9400 Å. We derived maps of c(Hβ), electronic densities, electronic temperatures, ionic and elemental abundances, and Ionization Correction Factors (ICFs) in the source and investigated the mass-loss history of the progenitor. The elemental abundance results indicate the need for ICFs based on three-dimensional photoionization models.

One of the ways to obtain a detailed 3D ISM map is by gathering interstellar (IS) absorption data toward widely distributed background target stars at known distances (line-of-sight/LOS data). The radial and angular evolution of the LOS measurements allow the inference of the ISM spatial distribution. For a better spatial resolution, one needs a large number of the LOS data. It requires building fast tools to measure IS absorption. One of the tools is a global analysis that fit two different diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) simultaneously. We derived the equivalent width (EW) ratio of the two DIBs recorded in each spectrum of target stars. The ratio variability can be used to study IS environmental conditions or to detect DIB family.

The Bulge Asymmetries and Dynamical Evolution (BAaDE) survey will provide positions and line-of-sight velocities of ~20, 000 evolved, maser bearing stars in the Galactic plane. Although this Galactic region is affected by optical extinction, BAaDE targets may have Gaia cross-matches, eventually providing additional stellar information. In an initial attempt to cross-match BAaDE targets with Gaia, we have found more than 5,000 candidates. Of these, we may expect half to show SiO emission, which will allow us to obtain velocity information. The cross-match is being refined to avoid false positives using different criteria based on distance analysis, flux variability, and color assessment in the mid- and near-IR. Once the cross-matches can be confirmed, we will have a unique sample to characterize the stellar population of evolved stars in the Galactic bulge, which can be considered fossils of the Milky Way formation.

There are specific problems of databases in meteor science such as making meteor databases into the modern research tools. Special institutes and virtual observatories exist for the meteor data storage where the data is online and in open access. However, there are also numerous databases without the open access, such as for example, three radar databases: Kharkiv database with 250,000 meteor orbits in Ukraine, New Zealand database with 500,000 meteor orbits, and Canadian database with more than 3 million meteor orbits. One of the reasons the open access is absent for these databases could be the complexity in the copyright compliance. In the framework of the creation of the modern effective research tool in the meteor science, we discuss here the case of the Kharkiv meteor database.

Based on the Bayesian Inference (BI) method, the Mixture-Model approach is improved to combine all kinematic data, including the coordinative position($\vec{x}$), proper motion ($\vec{\mu}$) and radial velocity(v), to separate the motion of the cluster from field stars, as well as to determine the intrinsic kinematic status and dynamical effects of the cluster, such as the mass segregation, anisotropy etc.. Meanwhile, the membership probability of individual stars are estimated as by product results. This method has been testified by simulation of toy models and also successfully used for well studied open clusters, such as M67 and NGC188. It is expected to largely help the studies of open clusters while combine the coming GAIA data.

The formation of direct collapse black hole seeds with masses ~104 − 105 ~M⊙ could help explain the assembly of supermassive black holes powering high redshift quasars. Conditions conducive to the formation of these massive initial seeds exist at high redshift. Halos hosting these massive seeds merge promptly with a nearby galaxy. These early stage mergers at high redshift produce a new class of transient galaxies that contain an accreting black hole that is over-massive compared to the newly acquired stellar component - Obese Black hole Galaxies (OBGs). During this phase, the accretion luminosity of the direct collapse black hole seed exceeds that of the acquired stellar component. Here we calculate the multi-wavelength spectrum of this short-lived OBG stage, and show that there exist unique observational signatures in long wavelengths spanning near, mid to far-infrared that should be detectable by instruments aboard the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

The only way to deduce information from stars is to decode the radiation it emits in an appropriate way. Spectroscopy can solve this and derive many properties of stars. In this work we seek to derive simultaneously the stellar and wind characteristics of a wide range of massive stars. Our stellar properties encompass the effective temperature, the surface gravity, the stellar radius, the micro-turbulence velocity, the rotational velocity and the Si abundance. For wind properties we consider the mass-loss rate, the terminal velocity and the line–force parameters α, k and δ (from the line–driven wind theory). To model the data we use the radiative transport code Fastwind considering the newest hydrodynamical solutions derived with Hydwind code, which needs stellar and line–force parameters to obtain a wind solution. A grid of spectral models of massive stars is created and together with the observed spectra their physical properties are determined through spectral line fittings. These fittings provide an estimation about the line–force parameters, whose theoretical calculations are extremely complex. Furthermore, we expect to confirm that the hydrodynamical solutions obtained with a value of δ slightly larger than ~ 0.25, called δ-slow solutions, describe quite reliable the radiation line-driven winds of A and late B supergiant stars and at the same time explain disagreements between observational data and theoretical models for the Wind–Momentum Luminosity Relationship (WLR).

As one of the follow-up studies of Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey (HerPlaNS; Ueta et al. 2014), we focus on a bipolar planetary nebula (PN) NGC6781 to characterize the dusty nebula and the central star based on our own Herschel data and the rich archival spectroscopic/photometric image data in the wavelengths from UV to far-IR. With CLOUDY, we constructed a comprehensive photoionization model of NGC6781 ever made including data from UV to radio. We succeeded to reproduce the observed spectral energy distribution (SED) and the atomic gas, H2, CO, and OH molecular line fluxes. We found that about 40% of the total dust mass would be from warm-cold dust components.

We used the Gaia data release 1 to study the proper motion fields of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC, SMC) on the basis of the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (van der Marel & Sahlmann 2016). The Gaia LMC and SMC proper motions have similar accuracy and agree to within the uncertainties with existing HST proper motion measurements. Since Gaia probes the young stellar population and uses different methods with different systematics, this provides an external validation of both data sets and their underlying approaches.

Multiple stellar populations in the Milky Way globular clusters manifest themselves with a large variety. Although chemical abundance variations in light elements, including He, are ubiquitous, the amount of these variations is different in different globulars. Stellar populations with distinct Fe, C+N+O and slow-neutron capture elements have been now detected in some globular clusters, whose number will likely increase. All these chemical features correspond to specific photometric patterns. I review the chemical+photometric features of the multiple stellar populations in globular clusters and discuss how the interpretation of data is being more and more challenging. Very excitingly, the origin and evolution of globular clusters is being a complex puzzle to compose.

Generalizations of the Schwarzschild and Kerr black holes are discussed in an astrophysically viable generalized theory of gravity, which includes higher curvature corrections in the form of the Gauss-Bonnet term, coupled to a dilaton. The angular momentum of these black holes can slightly exceed the Kerr bound. The location and the orbital frequency of particles in their innermost stable circular orbits can deviate significantly from the respective Kerr values. Study of the quasinormal modes of the static black holes gives strong evidence that they are mode stable against polar and axial perturbations. Future gravitational wave observations should improve the current bound on the Gauss-Bonnet coupling constant, based on observations of the low-mass x-ray binary A 0620-00.

Be stars (for an in-depth review see Rivinius, Carciofi & Martayan 2013) rotate at ⩾80% of the critical velocity and are multi-mode nonradial pulsators. Magnetic dipole fields are not detected, and binaries with periods less than 30 days are rare. The name-giving emission lines form in a Keplerian decretion disk, which is viscously re-accreted and also radiatively ablated unless replenished by outburts of unknown origin.

Months-long, high-cadence space photometry with the BRITE-Constellation nanosatellites (Pablo et al. 2016) of about 10 early-type Be stars reveals the following (cf. Baade et al. 2016a, Baade et al. 2016b):

• ○ Many Be stars exhibit 1 or 2 so-called Δ frequencies, which are differences between two nonradial-pulsation (NRP) frequencies and much lower (mostly less than 0.1 c/d) than the parent frequencies. The associated light curves are roughly sinusoidal. The amplitudes can exceed that of the sum of the parent amplitudes.

• ○ Conventional beat patterns also occur.

• ○ Amplitudes of both Δ and beat frequencies can temporarily be enhanced. Around phases of maximal amplitude the mean brightness is in- or decreased, and the scatter can be enhanced.

• ○ During high-activity phases (outbursts), broad and dense groups of numerous spikes arise in the power spectra. The two strongest groups often have a frequency ratio near 2. The phase coherence seems to be low.

• ○ Time coverage (less than half a year) is not yet sufficient to infer whether two Δ or beat frequencies can combine to cause long-lasting (years) superoutbursts (cf. Carciofi et al. 2012).

From these observations it is concluded:

• • The variable mean brightness and the increased Δ-frequency amplitude and scatter trace the amount of near-circumstellar matter.

• • Increase or decrease of mean brightness is aspect-angle dependent (pole-on vs. equator-on).

• • Increased amounts of near-circumstellar matter are due to rotation-assisted mass ejections caused by coupled NRP modes.

• • Observations do not constrain the location of the coupling (atmosphere or stellar interior).

• • Broad frequency groups do not represent stellar pulsation modes but circumstellar variability.

• • Be stars later than B5 are less active and may in some cases even behave differently.

We explored the photoionisation effects on both the proper motion and emission of planetary nebulae NGC 6302, by means of hydrodynamical simulations. We used the GUACHO code, which includes the photoionisation due to central source (Esquivel et al. 2009, Esquivel & Raga 2013). We model these PNe considering an interacting stellar fast wind with and ejected toroidally shaped slow wind (Uscanga et al. 2014). Synthetic Hα emission maps were obtained from our numerical results in order to do a comparison between the cases with and without photoionisation. Using a wavelets fittering method on our results for the ionisation case, we do not find an increase in the proper motion velocities, however we can see an accelerated expansion in both cases. For the ionisation case the Hα emission presents an increase.

In this contribution we report the current stage of the MOLecular Dissociation (MOL-D) database which is a web service within the Serbian virtual observatory (SerVO) and node within Virtual Atomic and Molecular Data Center (VAMDC). MOL-D is an atomic and molecular (A&M) database devoted to the modelling of stellar atmospheres, laboratory plasmas, industrial plasmas etc. The initial stage of development was done at the end of 2014, when the service for data connected with hydrogen and helium molecular ions was done. In the next stage of the development of MOL-D, we include new cross-sections and rate coefficients for processes which involve species such as XH+, where X is atom of some metal. Data are important for the exploring of the interstellar medium as well as for the early Universe chemistry and for the modeling of stellar and solar atmospheres. In this poster, we present our ongoing work and plans for the future.

The size of a telescope determines goals and objects of observations. During the latest decades it becomes more and more difficult to get photometric data of bright stars because most of telescopes of small sizes do not operate already. But there are rather interesting questions connected to the properties and evolution ties between different types of massive stars. Multi-wavelength photometric data are needed for solution of some of them. We are presenting our observational plans of bright Massive X-ray binaries, WR and LBV stars using a small size telescope. All these stars, which are presented in the poster are observational targets of Sopia Beradze’s future PhD thesis. We already have got very interesting results on the reddening and possible future eruption of the massive hypergiant star P Cygni. Therefore, we decided to choose some additional interesting massive stars of different type for future observations. All Massive stars play an important role in the chemical evolution of galaxies because of they have very high mass loss - up to 10−4M⊙/a year. Our targets are on different evolutionary stages and three of them are the members of massive binaries. We plan to do UBVRI photometric observations of these stars using the 48 cm Cassegrain telescope of the Abastumani Astrophisical Observatory.