We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of the members of three previously cataloged compact group (CG) candidates at redshifts z > 0.3. These confirm spectroscopic redshifts compatible with being gravitationally bound structures at redshifts 0.3112, 0.3848, and 0.3643, respectively, and then they are the most distant CGs known with

We discuss SAURON absorption line strength maps of a sample of 24 early-type spirals, mostly Sa. From the Lick indices H$eta$, Mg b and Fe 5015 we derive SSP-ages and metallicities. By comparing the scaling relations of Mg b and H beta and central velocity dispersion with the same relation for the edge-on sample of Falcon-Barroso et al. (2002) we

We present high-resolution echelle spectra of seven proximate damped Lyman α (PDLA) systems. The relative velocity separation of each PDLA from the background quasar is Δ V 3000 km s-1. Combining our sample with a further nine PDLAs from the literature we compare the chemical properties of the proximate systems with a control sample of intervening

We report new (1995) Very Large Array (VLA) observations and (1984-1999) Effelsberg 100 m monitoring observations of the 22 GHz H2O maser spectrum of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068. The sensitive VLA observations provide a registration of the 22 GHz continuum emission and the location of the maser spots with an accuracy of ~5 mas. Within the

SAX J1711.6-3808 is an X-ray transient in the Galactic bulge that was active from January through May of 2001 and whose maximum 1-200 keV luminosity was measured to be 5x 10-9 erg cm-2 s-1 which is less than ~ 25% of the Eddington limit, if placed at a distance equal to that of the galactic center. We study the X-ray data that were taken of this

The neutron star low-mass X-ray binary and long thermonuclear burst source XTE J1701-407 (ATel #1618) has been active ever since its discovery in 2008 June (ATel #1569), displaying a typical 2-10 keV luminosity of ~5E36 erg/s (assuming a distance D=5.0 kpc; ATel #2814). However, routine monitoring of the Galactic bulge with the PCA aboard RXTE