We present a new method based on artificial neural networks techniques aimed at determining the fraction of binary systems populating star clusters. We address the problem from a statistical point of view, avoiding the important biases induced by individual binary identification. The idea is to evaluate the percentage of binaries by comparing the

We have found that the bulge of the large, nearby Sb galaxy NGC 7331 rotates retrograde to its disk. Analysis of spectra in the region of the near-IR Ca II triplet along the major axis shows that, in the radial range between 5" and ~20", the line-of-sight velocity distribution of the absorption lines has two distinct peaks and can be decomposed

Based on photometry of deep CCD frames of the central region of the OB cluster Berkeley 86, we derive the cluster mass function. The absence of current star formation, and the cluster's young age of about 6Myrs, leads to the conclusion that the initial mass function (IMF) and the current mass function are identical for stars with m

Combining an electronic theory with molecular dynamics simulations we present results for the ultrafast structural changes in small clusters. We determine the time scale for the change from the linear to a triangular structure after the photodetachment process Ag$_3^- ightarrow { m Ag}_3$. We show that the time-dependent change of the ionization

The ultrafast relaxation of small clusters immediately after ionization is studied. For small Hg$_n$ clusters we determine the fragmentation-time distributions induced by ionization. A dramatic change of the fragmentation behaviour occurs when the temperature before ionization reaches the melting point of the neutral clusters. The ultrafast

We present spectropolarimetry of the powerful radio galaxy 3C 265 at z=0.811. The rest-frame UV continuum, which has an elongated structure misaligned by about 35 deg with respect to the radio axis, and the broad MgII 2800 are strongly polarized, while the narrow forbidden lines are unpolarized. The E-vector direction is constant with wavelength