We present optical and infrared monitoring of the 2005 outburst of the halo black hole X-ray transient XTE J1118+480. We measured a total outburst amplitude of ~5.7+/-0.1 mag in the R band and ~5 mag in the infrared J, H, and Ks bands. The hardness ratio HR2 (5-12 keV:3-5 keV) from the RXTE ASM data is 1.53+/-0.02 at the peak of the outburst

We present a detailed surface density analysis of a large sample of simulated collisionless mergers of disc galaxies with bulges (mass ratios 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1 and 6:1) and without bulges (mass ratios 1:1 and 3:1). A dissipative component was not included. The randomly projected remnants were fit with a single Sérsic function and a Sérsic function

A spectroscopic analysis is presented, where elliptical galaxies in Hickson Compact Groups (HCG) are compared with their counterparts in the field. The stellar population study shows that low-mass galaxies in HCGs present an enhanced [Mg/Fe] abundance ratio, interpreted as a relic of an event which truncated their star formation

We present a statistical analysis of voids in the two-degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS). In order to detect the voids, we have developed two robust algorithms. We define voids as non-overlapping maximal spheres empty of haloes or galaxies with mass or luminosity above a given value. We search for voids in cosmological N-Body simulations

We report on results from the first solar Fitting at Low-Angular degree Group (solar FLAG) hare-and-hounds exercise. The group is concerned with the development of methods for extracting the parameters of low-l solar p-mode data (`peak bagging'), collected by Sun-as-a-star observations. Accurate and precise estimation of the fundamental parameters

Periods and damping times of quasi-mode fundamental kink oscillations have been computed for non-uniform cylindrical models of coronal loops. The radial inhomogeneity length-scale, the density contrast and the internal Alfvén velocity are three equilibrium quantities that determine the theoretical values of the period and damping times in 1-D