Flares are transient and energetic phenomena that occur in most stars and can be observed with high spatial and temporal resolution in the Sun. These phenomena are triggered by a sudden release of energy previously stored in the star’s magnetic field, which, after a sequence of events, leads to extreme heating of the stellar plasma. The heated plasma then rapidly
Spectroscopic observations of massive stars (i.e., those more massive than 8 solar masses) allow astronomers to study their rapid evolution, which occurs on much shorter timescales compared to solar mass stars, and the impact of parameters such as stellar rotation on their evolution. To achieve this, observations of stellar clusters are greatly valuable, as they are groups of stars formed
In recent years, advances in instrumentation, knowledge, and observational strategies in the field of exoplanets have allowed for the identification and confirmation of thousands of planets around other stars (exoplanets). Moreover, for the past few years, astronomers have been capable of studying the chemistry and physical properties of the atmospheres of some of these exotic worlds. These studies can also
Supernova remnants are expanding nebulae produced by the explosion of high-mass stars. They are of great interest for understanding various physical processes and the final evolutionary stages of massive stars. Observations of supernova remnants in gamma rays are particularly important as they shed light on high-energy processes, such as the acceleration of cosmic rays (charged particles at very high energies).
Among the 5322 exoplanets discovered so far (from NASA), approximately 100 planets belong to the class of Ultra-Short Period (USP) exoplanets. These planets have very close orbits around their stars, with a period shorter than one day on Earth. They typically have a radius smaller than 2 Earth radii and are likely to be rocky cores of gaseous planets that lost their
Several questions about the star formation process are still debated. For instance, we know that stars form from the gravitational contraction of clouds of gas and dust, called “molecular clouds,” since they are mainly made of molecular hydrogen. Mainly thanks to observations from the Herschel satellite, we also know that most star formation occurs in long filaments embedded in these
The Vera C. Rubin is currently under construction in Cerro Pachón, northern Chile. Equipped with an 8.4-meter primary mirror, the telescope is designed to monitor the entire visible sky for ten years with six filters that cover the entire optical band, along with part of the UV band (the u filter) and the IR band (the y filter). This survey, known
Without any doubts, the supernova remnants SN1987A is the one that taught us more about this class of objects and supernova exposions. Produced by a supernova exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud on February 23rd 1987, this is the only case in which we have observations of the progenitor, of the supernova explosion, and in which we follow the development
Cepheids are important stars for the well-known relation between the period of their pulsations and their intrinsic luminosities. These stars are in fact characterized by regular pulsations whose period increases linearly with their absolute magnitude. Cepheids have a mass of about 5 solar masses, thus their progenitors are B stars in Main Sequence. However, their evolutionary path can be affected
Solar wind is made of charged particles (plasma) ejected by the coronal magnetic activity and travelling through the interplanetary space. Once these particles reach Earth and interact with the magnetosphere and atmosphere of our planet, they produce phenomena such as the aurorae. In their journey through the interplanetary space, these particles are funelled by the solar magnetic field. Every
