Aims.We investigate the flow field in the sunspot canopy using simultaneous Stokes vector spectropolarimetry of three sunspots (θ=27°, 50°, 75°) and their surroundings in visible (630.15 and 630.25 nm) and near infrared (1564.8 and 1565.2 nm) neutral iron lines. Methods: .To calibrate the Doppler shifts, we compare an absolute velocity calibration

We report Spitzer/IRS spectra of a small sample of heavily obscured and high mass loss post-AGB stars with O-rich maser emission. IRAM 30 m observations for two post-AGBs are also reported. The Spitzer/IRS spectra show the C-rich character of their circumstellar envelopes (CSE), as revealed by the presence of small hydrocarbon molecules such as

We present 10 new Spitzer detections of fullerenes in Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae, including the first extragalactic detections of the C70 molecule. These new fullerene detections together with the most recent laboratory data permit us to report an accurate determination of the C60 and C70 abundances in space. Also, we report evidence for

Aims: Near-IR photometry of dwarf irregular galaxies (dIs) has been acquired to expand the sample of objects suitable for investigating the fundamental plane (FP) discovered previously by us. Data for blue compact dwarfs (BCDs), dwarf ellipticals (dEs), and dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) are amalgamated to evaluate how closely these classes of

Context. The Gaia-ESO Survey (GES) is a large public spectroscopic survey at the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope. Aims: A key aim is to provide precise radial velocities (RVs) and projected equatorial velocities (vsini) for representative samples of Galactic stars, which will complement information obtained by the Gaia astrometry

Context. Recent metallicity determinations in young open clusters and star-forming regions suggest that the latter may be characterized by a slightly lower metallicity than the Sun and older clusters in the solar vicinity. However, these results are based on small statistics and inhomogeneous analyses. The Gaia-ESO Survey is observing and