In this contribution, we describe how we have used positions and velocities of 30 globular clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) to estimate its anisotropy and mass within 13 kpc, and then how we have used these estimates to extrapolate its virial mass. This is the first time that this family of mass estimation methods has been applied to the LMC. We also compare our estimate against other estimates of the LMC’s mass via different methods and discuss the broader context of our results.

The tilt of the bipolar magnetic region (BMR) is crucial in the Babcock-Leighton process for the generation of the poloidal magnetic field in the Sun. We extend the work of Jha et al. (2020) and analyze the recently reported tracked BMR catalogue based on AutoTAB (Sreedevi et al. 2023) from Michelson Doppler Imager (1996–2011) and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (2010–2018). Using the tracked information of BMRs based on AutoTAB, we confirm that the distribution of Bmax reported by Jha et al. (2020) is not because of the BMRs are picked multiple times at the different phases of their evolution instead it is also present if we consider each BMRs only once. Moreover, we find that the slope of Joy’s law (〈γ0〉) initially increases slowly with the increase of Bmax. However, when Bmax >2.5 kG, γ0 decreases. The decrease of observed γ0 with Bmax provides a hint to a nonlinear tilt quenching in the Babcock-Leighton process.

A high sensitivity and high-angular resolutions infrared space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), allowed us to study dust and molecules in unprecedented details. This contribution highlights the first year of JWST’s scientific operation, and reports prospects of dust and molecular studies in the coming future.

Observations of super flare occurrence (with energy 1033–1036 erg)s in low mass stars like M dwarfs still remains as a puzzle. In this paper we have inferred the typical sizes and characteristics of magnetic fields associated with active regions in M dwarfs responsible for these super flares. This is done by extrapolation of physical conditions associated with largest solar flares. The average poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields near the surface of selected M dwarfs will be also inferred in this context.

A quarter of a century has passed since the observing technique of integral field spectroscopy (IFS) was first applied to planetary nebulae (PNe). Progress after the early experiments was relatively slow, mainly because of the limited field-of-view (FoV) of first generation instruments. With the advent of MUSE at the ESO Very Large Telescope, this situation has changed. MUSE is a wide field-of-view, high angular resolution, one-octave spanning optical integral field spectrograph with high throughput. Its major science mission has enabled an unprecedented sensitive search for Lyα emitting galaxies at redshift up to z=6.5. This unique property can be utilized for faint objects at low redshift as well. It has been demonstrated that MUSE is an ideal instrument to detect and measure extragalactic PNe with high photometric accuracy down to very faint magnitudes out to distances of 30 Mpc, even within high surface brightness regions of their host galaxies. When coupled with a differential emission line filtering (DELF) technique, MUSE becomes far superior to conventional narrow-band imaging, and therefore MUSE is ideal for accurate Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function (PNLF) distance determinations. MUSE enables the PNLF to become a competitive tool for an independent measure of the Hubble constant, and stellar population studies of the host galaxies that present a sufficiently large number of PNe.

Dwarf satellite galaxies in our Milky Way and different galaxy systems in the Local Volume appear to be arranged in thin, vast planes. It has been argued that these phase-space correlations cannot be explained to a satisfactory degree by the ΛCDM paradigm but it is unclear whether these planes in our neighborhood are statistical outliers, or if they are perhaps a common phenomenon in the Universe. Recent deep imaging surveys have significantly increased the number of known dwarf galaxies and allow us to advance such small-scale tensions beyond the Local Volume. We present our study analyzing the spatial distribution of 2210 dwarf galaxies identified in the MATLAS survey as well as results from follow-up observations with the MUSE instrument on the VLT. Spectral information for 56 of these dwarf galaxies allow for a deeper dive into their properties and for a comparison to the Local Volume dwarfs.

The Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) has enabled a renaissance of the planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF) as a standard candle. In the case of NGC 300, we learned that the precise spectrophotometry of MUSE was crucial to obtain an accurate PNLF distance. We present the advantage of the integral field spectrograph compared to the slit spectrograph in delivering precise spectrophotometry by simulating a slit observation on integral field spectroscopy data. We also discuss the possible systematic shift in measuring the PNLF distance using the least-square method, especially when the PNLF cutoff is affected by small number statistics.

We present recent results from the Pristine Inner Galaxy Survey (PIGS), which used metallicity-sensitive narrow-band CaHK photometry to identify and follow up spectroscopically thousands of ancient metal-poor candidates in the bulge. For the spectroscopic PIGS sample, we derive distances with StarHorse and compute orbital properties in a realistic potential including a bar. We find that a significant fraction of metal-poor stars is confined to the inner Galaxy (apocentre < 4 kpc), with an estimated confined fraction of 80%/50% at [Fe/H] = − 1.0/ − 2.0. We also find that the very metal-poor population has a net prograde rotation, with a υϕ ∼ 40 kms−1. It is still under discussion what the origin is of the population of very metal-poor inner Galaxy stars – it is likely a combination of in-situ and accreted stars. In future, spectroscopic observations from 4MOST will be crucial to complete our picture.

We report on recent results from our successful and pioneering observational program with ALMA to study emerging ultracompact HII regions of pre-planetary nebulae (pPNe) using mm-wavelength recombination lines (mRRLs) as new optimal tracers. We focus on our study of two poster-child pPNe, namely, M 2-9 and CRL 618. We reveal the structure and kinematics of the enigmatic inner nebular regions of these objects with an unprecedented angular resolution down to 20-30 mas (∼15-30 AU linear scales). For both targets, the ionized central regions are elongated along the main symmetry axis of the large-scale nebulae, consistent with bipolar winds, and show notable axial velocity gradients with expansion velocities of up to ∼100 kms. The intensity and width of the H30α profiles are found to be time variable, denoting changes on scales of a few years of the physical properties and kinematics of the present-day post-AGB ejections. Our ongoing analysis involves 3D, non-LTE radiative transfer modeling of the mRRLs and free-free continuum emission. This approach allows us to provide an exceptionally detailed description of the physical conditions in the innermost layers of these well known pPNe.

In this article, the physical processes occurring in the convective layer and the photosphere of the Sun and their connection to the formation of active regions (ARs) and the development of the corresponding magnetic field are explored. Specifically, we test the magnetic flux emergence hypothesis and based on the line-of-sight magnetic field and Doppler shift data obtained from the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) observations. The study encompasses the analysis of 24 ARs observed during the period from 2011 to 2022. We find a strong correlation between the magnetic flux and the imbalance of radial velocity fluxes. The results indicate that the magnetic flux emergence hypothesis cannot fully explain the evolution of ARs during their early stages of development.

The Planetary Nebula H 2-18 is analysed with the full-3D capabilities of the MOCASSIN code. The collected HST images help to constrain the density distribution while the ARGUS 2D spectroscopy provides a new and unique information on kinematics.

We use the rotation curve from Gaia data release (DR) 3 to estimate the mass of the Milky Way. We consider an Einasto density profile to model the dark matter component. We extrapolate and obtain a dynamical mass at 112 kpc. This lower-mass Milky Way is consistent with the significant declining rotation curve, and can provide new insights into our Galaxy and halo inhabitants.

Historical sunspot records provide piece by piece more information on solar variability on a centennial scale. In this work, we analyze sunspot observations from the archives of Georg Christoph Eimmart, which is the second-richest data set of the Maunder minimum after the archives of the Paris observatory. Comparing the dates of the blank solar disk from the database by Hoyt & Schatten (1998) with dates of observations at the Eimmart observatory, we find that spotless days reports originate from astrometric observations. A comparison of the observations by La Hire and Müller of 1719 suggests that the observations by La Hire were for astrometric purposes as well, rather than aimed at sunspot counting.

During the last decade, our understanding of stellar physics and evolution has undergone a tremendous revolution thanks to asteroseismology. Space missions such as CoRoT, Kepler, K2, and TESS have already been observing millions of stars providing high-precision photometric data. With these data, it is possible to study the convection of stars through the convective background in the power spectrum density of the light curves. The properties of the convective background or granulation has been shown to be correlated to the surface gravity of the stars. In addition, when we have enough resolution (so long enough observations) and a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the individual modes can be characterized in particular to study the internal rotational splittings and magnetic field of stars. Finally, the surface magnetic activity also impacts the amplitude and hence detection of the acoustic modes. This effect can be seen as a double-edged sword. Indeed, modes can be studied to look for magnetic activity changes. However, this also means that for stars too magnetically active, modes can be suppressed, preventing us from detecting them.

In this talk, I will present some highlights on what asteroseismology has allowed us to better understand the convection, rotation, and magnetism of solar-like stars while opening doors to many more questions.

The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), as one of the nearest galaxies to us, provides a superb laboratory for studying resolved stars in exquisite detail. We present here the largest sample of SMC Red Giant Branch (RGB) stars (∼6000) observed with the AAOmega spectrograph fed by the Two Degree Field (2dF) multi-object system at the Anglo-Australian Telescope of the Siding Spring Observatory (Australia). Metallicities were recovered using a direct estimation of [Fe/H] from the equivalent widths of the Calcium triplet (CaT). We discuss the potential implications of the metallicity gradients and compare them with previous determinations of star formation history to assess the consequences of encounters between the SMC and the Large Magellanic Cloud.

The formation of highly structured, spatially localized complex structures during solar flux emergence facilitates adaptation of topological methods, extending the research of emerging macroscopic MHD fluxes into knots, links and braids. Combining mathematical considerations, remote images and in situ satellite observations at solar vicinity, we construct new characteristics of those braided/knotted magnetic structures, applying Braid and Knot Theory to physical configurations, deducing their topological invariants, constraining the evolution and stability while delineating the relaxation path to magnetized equilibria.

The fast rotating solar analogs show a decrease of the dynamo period with an increase of the rotation rate for the moderate stellar rotation periods in the range between 10 and 25 days. Simultaneously, observations indicate two branches: the “in-active” branch stars shows short dynamo cycles and the active branch stars show the relatively long magnetic cycles. We suggest that this phenomenon can be produced by effect of the doubling frequency of the dynamo waves, which is due to excitation of the second harmonic. It is generated because of the nonlinear B2 effects in the large-scale dynamo.

The Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function (PNLF) remains an important extragalactic distance indicator despite a still limited understanding of its most important feature - the bright cut-off. External galaxies benefit from consistent distance and extinction, which makes determining the PNLF easier but detailed study of individual objects much more difficult. Now, the advent of parallaxes from the Gaia mission has dramatically improved distance estimates to planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Milky Way. We have acquired ground-based narrowband imagery and measured the [OIII] fluxes for a volume-limited sample of hundreds of PNe whose best distance estimates from Gaia parallaxes and statistical methods place them within 3 kpc of the Sun. We present the first results of our study, comparing the local PNLF to other galaxies with different formation histories, and discussing how the brightness of the PNe relates to the evolutionary state of their central stars and the properties of the nebula.

I present a short overview of the COST Action NanoSpace (“Carbon molecular nanostructures in space”; CA21126) together with the most recent updates. This includes the main motivation and scientific challenges, Action structure and organization (e.g., working groups, tasks, etc.) as well as the main objectives and deliverables. A special emphasis is given to the interdisciplinary approach proposed to attack the Action challenge and the main needs to drive the field forward. Planetary nebulae (PNe) are wonderful astrochemistry laboratories and a dominant source of complex carbon molecular nanostructures (i.e., nanocarbons) in space, being key astronomical objects for NanoSpace. The main goal is to show the power of networking as a tool to understand nanocarbons in PNe as well as to encourage the participation and collaborations between the PNe community and the multiple interdisciplinary research fields represented in NanoSpace.

We investigate the possible link between the Andromeda Giant Stream (AGS) and the 10 kpc ring structure using N-body/SPH simulations of a minor merger between the M31 and a satellite galaxy with a mass of 1010 M⊙. The simulation result successfully matches the observed features of the AGS and the 10 kpc ring concurrently. The simulation reproduced the observations, showing that the stars are smoothly distributed in the galactic disk, and the gas is shaped in a ring-like structure. In addition, we demonstrate the spatial metallicity distribution of the merger remnant, assuming the metallicity gradient of the progenitor galaxy. The result remarkably captures the observed features in the AGS exhibiting non-uniform metallicity distribution perpendicular to the AGS axis. These results indicate that a minor merger with a massive dwarf galaxy is capable of simultaneously forming the AGS and the 10 kpc ring.