We examine the stellar velocity dispersions (σ) of a sample of 48 galaxies, 35 of which are spirals, from the Palomar nearby galaxy survey. It is known that for ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) and merger remnants, the σ derived from the near-infrared CO band heads is smaller than that measured from optical lines, while no discrepancy

We report the successful detection of the rare earth element Neodymium (Nd) in the high-resolution, H-band spectra from the SDSS III Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). Using the Nd II transition at 16058.014 angstroms, we have detected significant Nd enhancements in all stars observed by APOGEE belonging to the

In order to understand the role of magnetic fields in the process of star formation, we require detailed observations of field morphology on scales ranging from clouds to cores. However, ground based millimetre/submillimetre polarimetry is usually limited to small maps of relatively dense regions. BLASTPol, the Balloon-borne Large Aperture Sub-mm

We report on a pilot study of a novel observing technique, defocused transmission spectroscopy, and its application to the study of exoplanet atmospheres using ground-based platforms. Similar to defocused photometry, defocused transmission spectroscopy has an added advantage over normal spectroscopy in that it reduces systematic errors due to flat

This poster describes details of HST Cycle 19 (program GO 12600), which was awarded 32 orbits of observing time with STIS to obtain the first cospatial UV-optical spectra of 10 Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe). The observational goal was to measure the UV emission lines of carbon and nitrogen with unprecedented S/N and wavelength and spatial

We present one of largest studies to date of combined near-infrared and submillimeter linear polarization data for a giant molecular cloud. The dust polarized emission data (at 250, 350 and 500 μm) were obtained using the Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope for Polarimetry (BLASTPol) during its 2012 Antarctic flight. The near