We analyse high signal-to-noise ESPaDOnS/CFHT spectra of 20 very metal-poor (VMP) stars ([Fe/H] $\,\lt\,-2.0$) in the solar neighbourhood (within $\sim 2$ kpc), selected to be on planar orbits with maximum heights $\lesssim 4$ kpc. The sample comprises 11 stars on prograde and 9 on retrograde orbits, all with relatively high eccentricities (0.5─0.9

Understanding the nature of nitrogen reservoirs in primitive small bodies is fundamental for tracing the evolution of volatiles in the early Solar System and their contribution to prebiotic chemistry. Here we report the identification, via infrared spectroscopy, of ammonium (NH 4 +)-bearing phyllosilicates inclusions in samples returned from

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has delivered a large number of transiting planet candidates around nearby stars by identifying periodic decreases in stellar brightness. Establishing the planetary nature of these signals and determining their fundamental properties is a necessary step towards detailed studies of their internal

We present a systematic analysis of 2544 cataclysmic variable systems and related candidates observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), with the aim of compiling a comprehensive catalogue of orbital periods. Using 2-min photometric time-series data, we applied an automated algorithm to generate Lomb─Scargle periodograms and

It is predicted that half or more of all cataclysmic variables (CVs) should have evolved past the period minimum and now exist as so-called period bouncers where a white dwarf should be accreting from a Roche lobe filling substellar companion. However, this prediction stands in stark contrast to observations, where only a few per cent of CVs are