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We present high-speed optical photometry of the anomalous X-ray pulsar 1E1048.1-5937 obtained with ULTRACAM on the 8.2-m Very Large Telescope in 2007 June. We detect 1E1048.1-5937 at a magnitude of i' = 25.3 +/- 0.2, consistent with the values found by Wang et al. and hence confirming their conclusion that the source was approximately 1mag brighter

GX 339-4 is currently brightening at X-ray, UV, optical and radio frequencies (ATel #1945, #1954, #1960). Our monitoring campaign with the Faulkes Telescope South (ATel #1586) gives the following recent magnitudes (light curves are below; errors are ~ 0.02 mag): 2009-02-20 (MJD 54882.65): i' ~ 16.66 (and varying by ~ 0.2 mag in 10 minutes) 2009-02

We report a new outburst from the neutron star X-ray transient Aquila X-1. Optical monitoring with the Faulkes Telescopes North and South show a rise above quiescence by 0.4 mag in V and i' on 2009-03-07. The magnitudes on that date (MJD 54897.76) were V=18.82 +- 0.09; i'=17.32 +- 0.12. Three days before, on 2009-03-04 (MJD 54894.65) we had V=19.31

Only by incorporating various forms of feedback can theories of galaxy formation reproduce the present-day luminosity function of galaxies. It has also been argued that such feedback processes might explain the counterintuitive behaviour of `downsizing' witnessed since redshifts z ~= 1-2. To examine this question, observations spanning 0.4 z 1.4