We have combined deep photometry in the B, V and I bands from CTIO/MOSAIC of the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy, going down to the oldest main sequence turn-offs, with spectroscopic metallicity distributions of red giant branch stars. This allows us to obtain the most detailed and complete star formation history to date, as well as an accurate

Aims: We looked for signatures of quasi-biennial periodicity (QBP) over different phases of solar cycle by means of acoustic modes of oscillation. Low-degree p-mode frequencies are shown to be sensitive to changes in magnetic activity due to the global dynamo. Recently there has been reported evidence of two-year variations in p-mode frequencies

Context. The optical counterpart of the neutron star X-ray binary and well known X-ray burster, 4U 1636-53 (=4U 1636-536 = V801 Ara) has been studied for three decades. However, no infrared studies have been reported to date. Aims: Our aims are to identify and investigate the near-infrared (NIR) counterpart of 4U 1636-53. Methods: We present deep

Phase-resolved spectroscopy of the newly discovered X-ray transient MAXI J0556-332 has revealed the presence of narrow emission lines in the Bowen region that most likely arise on the surface of the mass donor star in this low-mass X-ray binary. A period search of the radial velocities of these lines provides two candidate orbital periods (16.43 ±

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The J-band structural parameters of a magnitude-limited sample of 148 unbarred S0--Sb galaxies were obtained using the GASP2D algorithm and then analyzed to recover the intrinsic shape of their bulges. We developed a new method to derive the intrinsic shape of bulges based only on photometric data and on the geometrical relationships between the