The Very Small Array (VSA) detected a cold spot in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) towardsthe Corona Borealis supercluster of galaxies. The origin of this spot remains unclear as itis not obviously associated to any known cluster of galaxies. We present here recent observationalresults (GTC, WHT, SDSS) and theoretical (N-body simulations)

We present a complete study of the diffuse ionized gas (DIG) in a sample of six spiral galaxies (NGC 157, NGC 3359, NGC 3631, NGC 6764, NGC 6951, NGC 7479) using very high quality Hα images which allow analysis down to very low surface brightness (between 0.3 and 2 pc cm-6). Separation of the diffuse Hα emission from that of the H II regions was

We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of the low-mass X-ray binary GR Mus (XB 1254-690), and find strong evidence for the presence of a negative superhump with a period that is 2.4 ± 0.3 per cent shorter than the orbital. This provides further support that GR Mus indeed harbours a precessing accretion disc (with a period of 6.74 ± 0

We present azimuthally averaged radial profiles of R-band surface brightness for a complete sample of 47 early-type, unbarred galaxies, as a complement to our previous study of early-type barred galaxies. Following very careful sky subtraction, the profiles can typically be determined down to brightness levels well below 27 mag arcsec-2 and in the

Symbiotic stars, which are interacting binary stars usually composed by a late type giant and a very hot/luminous white dwarf, are a powerful laboratory to investigate mass loss phenomenon relevant to a wide range of astrophysical topics: aspherical mass loss, collimated winds from accretion disks, colliding winds, mass loss induced by violent

First results from the AGN-Heidelberg program aimed at spatially resolving the central pc region of the closest Active Galactic Nuclei are presented. The core region of prototype active nuclei are clearly unveiled at IR waves and at distances from the nucleus - few pc- where circumnuclear starforming regions appear not to be present. Within that