The formation of stars and planets results from the complex interplay of various factors and agents: the collapse of the cloud due to its own gravitational force, its internal turbulence and magnetic effects, the evolution of star clusters formed within, and the interactions among young stars within these clusters, as well as the influence of their radiation on the surrounding
Nature sets a lower limit on stellar masses: objects less massive than 0.07-0.08 solar masses are incapable of initiating the thermonuclear reactions that power more massive stars. Below this threshold lies the realm of brown dwarfs, objects whose mass is too small to qualify as stars, yet too large to be categorized as planets. The mechanism responsible for the
Meteoritic impacts have shaped various aspects of Earth and its ecosystem. However, we should not consider impacts as a risk solely confined to our past. In particular, Near Earth Objects (NEOs) constitute a family of asteroids and comets that require continuous monitoring. Technically, a NEO is defined as an object orbiting the Sun at a distance ranging from 0.98
SN1987A, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, is an object of great importance for the study of supernovae and supernova remnants. In fact, it is the only supernova that has occurred recently and is close enough to allow us to obtain detailed observations across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. SN1987A was a core-collapse supernova, resulting from the collapse of the core
The search and characterization of exoplanets around young stars (where “young” here means less than 600 million years) is crucial for advancing our understanding of planetary formation processes and the early stages of planet evolution. During this phase, the planetary environment is significantly more turbulent compared to that of mature exoplanetary systems. For example, many planets in young systems continue
The search for terrestrial like exoplanets in the habitable zone of their stars is one of the most significant areas of exoplanetary science. The habitable zone is defined as the region around a given star where rocky planets are within the suitable temperature range to potentially support liquid water on their surfaces. Earth-like planets within habitable zones are therefore the
The study of chemical abundances in the interstellar medium and stars in our Galaxy is of utmost importance, as it provides insights into the chemical enrichment of the galactic interstellar medium by massive stars and the evolution of different components of the Milky Way. Lithium is frequently the subject of spectroscopic surveys and studies aimed at determining its abundance in
About thirteen years ago, in January 2010, the meeting “Science with the William Herschel Telescope 2010-2020” took place at the Isaac Newton Group of telescopes (ING). During that meeting, the importance of spectroscopic surveys at medium and high resolution for various strategic fields in both galactic and extragalactic astronomy was discussed. In the same year, a document endorsed by the
In astrophysics, there are elements that provide important diagnostics used in various fields, such as Lithium. For instance, measurements of Lithium abundances are important in cosmology where there is a well-known problem of matching the measured abundances in population II stars with those predicted by cosmological models of Big Bang synthesis. Measurements of Lithium abundances are also essential for understanding
