The main goal of this work is the analysis of new approaches in order to study the properties of astronomical sites. The objective is to calibrate the atmospheric extinction provided by in situ techniques through remote sensing data retrieved from satellite-platforms. We have selected data provided by different spectrographs on board NASA and ESA

It is well known that magnetic activity in late-type stars increases with increasing rotation rate. Using inversion techniques akin to medical imaging, the rotationally broadened profiles from such stars can be used to reconstruct `Doppler images' of the distribution of cool, dark starspots on their stellar surfaces. Interacting binaries, however

Aims: Exo-planets are preferentially found around high metallicity main sequence stars. We investigate whether evolved stars share this property, and its implications for planet formation. Methods: Statistical tools and the basic concepts of stellar evolution theory are applied to published results as well as our own radial velocity and chemical

The optical properties of a number of supercompact ultraviolet luminous galaxies (UVLGs), recently discovered in the local universe matching Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data, are discussed. Detailed reanalysis of the SDSS data for these and other similar but nearer galaxies shows that their surface

I take a critical look at the way in which electronic publishing has changed the world of publishing beyond recognition over the past decade. While the e-publishing revolution has brought many benefits to academic and research communication, there are a number of factors that inhibit the flow of information. I argue that a new publishing culture is

Accretion onto a black hole (BH) is the most viable explanation for the huge emitted power in active galaxies. A wealth of observations have shown the presence of a BH in many nearby inactive bulges, suggesting that all massive spheroids harbor a BH. At low redshift, fundamental correlations have been found between the BH mass and the luminosity