We present high-quality J, H and K photometry of four Small Magellanic Cloud stellar clusters with intermediate ages in the 1-7 Gyr range (namely NGC 339, 361, 416 and 419) . We obtained deep Color-Magnitude Diagrams to study the evolved sequences and providing a detailed census of the Red Giant Branch (RGB), Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) and Carbon star populations in each cluster and their contribution to the total cluster light. We find that in the 5-7 Gyr old clusters AGB stars account for ~6 % of the total light in K-band, Carbon stars are lacking and RGB stars account for ~45 % of the total bolometric luminosity. These empirical findings are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions. Finally, we derived photometric metallicities computed by using the properties of the RGB and finding an iron content of [Fe/H]=-1.18, -1.08, -0.99 and -0.96 dex for NGC 339, 361, 416 and 419 respectively.
We present V(RI)sub data for thirteen Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud ans fifty-five in each wavelength band. The median uncertainty in the photometry iy Moffett, Gieren & Barnes (1998) which contained 1000 measures ($\pm 0.01$ mag) in each wavelength band on 22 variables with periods in the range 8--133 days.
We present broad-band infrared photometry for 52 late-type supergiants in the young Magellanic Clouds clusters NGC 330, NGC 1818, NGC 2004 and NGC 2100. Standard models are seen to differ in the temperature they predict for the red supergiant population on the order of 300K. It appears that these differences most probably due to the calibration of the mixing-length parameter, $α_{P}$, in the outermost layers of the stellar envelope. Due to the apparent model dependent nature of $α_{P}$ we do not quantitatively compare $α_{P}$ between models. Qualitatively, we find that $α_{P}$ decreases with i…
We present optical photometry of the eclipsing supersoft source, CAL87. These observations comprise long term data accumulated as a by-product of the MACHO Project, and high speed white light photometry of a single eclipse. We (i) derive an improved ephemeris of To = HJD 2450111.5144(3) + 0.44267714(6)E for the time of minimum light, (ii) find the eclipse structure to be stable over a period of 4 years, and (iii) investigate the colour variation as a function of orbital phase. The resolution afforded by the high speed nature of the white light observations enables us to see new structure in th…
We present our catalog of U, B, V, and I stellar photometry of the central 64 sq. deg. area of the Large Magellanic Cloud. Internal and external astrometric and photometric tests using existing optical photometry (U, B, and V from Massey's bright star catalog and I from the near-infrared sky survey DENIS) are used to confirm our observational uncertainty estimates. We fit stellar atmosphere models to the optical data to check the consistency of the photometry for individual stars across the passbands and to estimate the line-of-sight extinction. Finally, we use the estimated line-of-sight exti…
We present accurate integrated-light photometry in Johnson/Cousins V, R, and I for a sample of 28 globular clusters in the Magellanic Clouds. The majority of the clusters in our sample have reliable age and metallicity estimates available in the literature. The sample encompasses ages between 50 Myr and 7 Gyr, and metallicities ([Fe/H]) between -1.5 and 0.0 dex. The sample is dominated by clusters of ages between roughly 0.5 and 2 Gyr, an age range during which the bolometric luminosity of simple stellar populations is dominated by evolved red giant branch stars and thermally pulsing asymptoti…
A preliminary analysis of the data from the MSX space infrared satellite, seems to confirm that the [8.8]-[12.5] micron color index is well correlated with the mass-loss rates in carbon stars of our Galaxy. The extension of this mid-infrared observation criterion to the Magellanic Clouds, with a small-size telescope, able to perform a continuous survey from Dome-C on the Antarctic Plateau, could be crucial to trace the local AGB population and evolution.
We present our catalog of U, B, V, and I stellar photometry of the central 18 sq. degree area of the Small Magellanic Cloud. We combine our data with the 2MASS and DENIS catalogs to provide, when available, U through K_S data for stars. Internal and external astrometric and photometric tests using existing optical photometry (U, B, and V from Massey's bright star catalog; B, V, and I from the microlensing database of OGLE and I from the near-infrared sky survey DENIS) are used to determine the observational uncertainties and identify systematic errors. We fit stellar atmosphere models to the o…
We have obtained deep infrared $J$ and $K$ band observations of five fields located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) bar with the ESO New Technology Telescope equipped with the SOFI infrared camera. In our fields, 65 RR Lyrae stars catalogued by the OGLE collaboration were identified. Using different theoretical and empirical calibrations of the period-luminosity-metallicity relation, we find consistent LMC distance moduli values. Since the observed fields are situated very close to the center of the LMC, the correction for the tilt of the LMC bar with respect to the line of sight is neglig…
We present BV CCD-data for 11 intermediate-age LMC clusters; the main conclusions are: 1. in the (V_to, V_cl,m) and (V-to, (V_to-V_cl,m)) planes the models yield a good overall description of the data; 2. with the current sample, it is impossible to firmly choose between "classical" and "overshooting" models; 3. the separation in colour between the MS band and the Red He-burning Clump is smaller than predicted by theoretical tracks; 4. the existence of the so-called "RGB phase-transition (Renzini and Buzzoni 1986) seems to be confirmed.
B and V photometry has been obtained for variable stars in the northeast arm of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Periods and lightcurves have been determined for 237 periodic variables, including 201 Cepheids, 68 of which are newly discovered. Fundamental mode Cepheids and first overtone mode Cepheids are generally well separated in the B,V color-magnitude diagram, with the latter having bluer mean colors than the former. The Cepheid period-color relationship for this outlying SMC field is indistinguishable from that seen in more centrally located SMC fields, and is bluer than theoretical pre…
We present the first results from, and a complete description of, our ongoing UBVI digital photometric survey of the Magellanic Clouds. In particular, we discuss the photometric quality and automated reduction of a CCD survey (magnitude limits, completeness, and astrometric accuracy) that covers the central 8 by 8 degrees of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and 4 by 4 degrees of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We discuss photometry of over 1 million stars from the initial survey observations (an area northwest of the LMC bar covering 2 by 1.5 degrees) and present a deep stellar cluster catal…
We present a photometric study of the star-forming region NGC 346 and its surrounding field in the Small Magellanic Cloud, using data taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The data set contains both short and long exposures for increased dynamic range, and photometry was performed using the ACS module of the stellar photometry package DOLPHOT. We detected almost 100,000 stars over a magnitude range of V ~ 11 to V ~ 28 mag, including all stellar types from the most massive young stars to faint lower main sequence and pre-main sequence stars.…
We present previously unpublished photometry of three Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) microlensing events and show that the new photometry confirms the microlensing interpretation of these events. These events were discovered by the MACHO Project alert system and were also recovered by the analysis of the 5.7 year MACHO data set. This new photometry provides a substantial increase in the signal-to-noise ratio over the previously published photometry and in all three cases, the gravitational microlensing interpretation of these events is strengthened. The new data consist of MACHO-Global Microlens…
BVI photometry of the Magellanic Clouds collected during the OGLE-II microlensing experiment makes it possible to study in detail photometric properties of the "major" stellar distance indicators in the Magellanic Clouds. In addition to Cepheids, RR Lyr and red clump stars, which photometry was presented in the earlier OGLE papers, we present the so far most accurate determination of brightness of the tip of the red giant branch in the LMC and SMC. We analyze the ratios of brightness of all four distance indicators in the LMC and SMC. Additionally, we include in our analysis, when possible, ph…
The data of 8,852 and 2,927 variable stars detected by OGLE survey in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are presented. They are cross-identified with the SIRIUS JHK survey data, and their infrared properties are discussed. Variable red giants are well separated on the period-J - K plane, suggesting that it could be a good tool to distinguish their pulsation mode and type.
A review of the MOA (Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics) project is presented. MOA is a collaboration of approximately 30 astronomers from New Zealand and Japan established with the aim of finding and detecting microlensing events towards the Magellanic Clouds and the Galactic bulge, which may be indicative of either dark matter or of planetary companions. The observing program commenced in 1995, using very wide band blue and red filters and a nine-chip mosaic CCD camera. As a by-product of these observations a large database of CCD photometry for 1.4 million stars towards both LMC and …
EROS 2 (Experience de Recherche d'Objets Sombres) conducted a survey of the SMC between July 1996 and February 2003 in two EROS broad-band colours, V_E and R_E. The photometric data of 4.2 million stars have been searched for behaviour typical of R Coronae Borealis (RCB) candidates such as drastic changes in magnitude. Five objects have been found, four of them being catalogued in the Simbad database as RAW 21, RAW 233, RAW 476, and [MH95] 431 with confirmed carbon-rich atmospheres, characteristic of RCB. From the EROS 2 light curve of RAW 21 and its spectrum reported by Morgan et al. (2003), …
We present a serendipitous detection of the infrared-bright supernova remnant (SNR) B0104-72.3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud by the Infrared Camera (IRC) onboard AKARI. An elongated, partially complete shell is detected in all four observed IRC bands covering 2.6-15 um. The infrared shell surrounds radio, optical, and X-ray emission associated with the SNR and is probably a radiative SNR shell. This is the first detection of a SNR shell in this near/mid-infrared waveband in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The IRC color indicates that the infrared emission might be from shocked H2 molecules with so…
We investigate the far-infrared SED of the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds by using the COBE (COsmic Background Explorer) / DIRBE (Diffuse InfraRed Background Experiment) ZSMA (Zodi - Subtracted Mission Average) maps at wavelengths of 60 um, 100 um and 140 um. We analyze three regions: the Galactic plane region with the Galactic latitude |b|<5 degree, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) region, and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) region. Because the dust optical depth is much smaller in the far-infrared than in the visible, we may observe cumulative far-infrared radiation from regions with vari…
We present a study of the mid-infrared properties and dust content of a sample of 27 HII ``blobs'', a rare class of compact HII regions in the Magellanic Clouds. A unique feature of this sample is that even though these HII regions are of high and low excitation they have nearly the same physical sizes ~1.5-3 pc. We base our analysis on archival 3-8 microns infrared imagery obtained with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. We find that despite their youth, sub-solar metallicity and varied degrees of excitation, the mid-infrared colors of these regions are sim…
The purpose of this preliminary work is to determine if Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) Cepheids have stellar winds. If a Cepheid undergoes mass loss then at some distance from the star, a fraction of the gas becomes dust, which causes an infrared excess. Mass loss is tested using OGLE II optical observations and SAGE infrared observations for a sample of 488 Cepheids. The resultant mass-loss rates range from $10^{-12}$ to $10^{-7}$ $M_\odot/yr$. Using the mass--loss model we compute infrared stellar luminosities for the sample of Cepheids and compare predicted infrared PL relations with observed…
We present the first results of AKARI Infrared Camera near-infrared spec- troscopic survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We detected absorption features of the H2O ice 3.05 um and the CO2 ice 4.27 um stretching mode toward seven massive young stellar objects (YSOs). These samples are for the first time spectroscopically confirmed to be YSOs. We used a curve-of-growth method to evaluate the column densities of the ices and derived the CO2/H2O ratio to be 0.45 pm 0.17. This is clearly higher than that seen in Galactic massive YSOs (0.17 pm 0.03). We suggest that the strong ultraviolet rad…
We present ISO photometric and spectroscopic observations of a sample of 57 bright Asymptotic Giant Branch stars and red supergiants in the Large Magellanic Cloud, selected on the basis of IRAS colours indicative of high mass-loss rates. PHOT-P and PHOT-C photometry at 12, 25 and 60 $μ$m and CAM photometry at 12 $μ$m are used in combination with quasi-simultaneous ground-based near-IR photometry to construct colour-colour diagrams for all stars in our sample. PHOT-S and CAM-CVF spectra in the 3 to 14 $μ$m region are presented for 23 stars. From the colour-colour diagrams and the spectra, we es…
We observed a sample of evolved stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC) with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. Comparing samples from the SMC, LMC, and the Galaxy reveals that the dust-production rate depends on metallicity for oxygen-rich stars, but carbon stars with similar pulsation properties produce similar quantities of dust, regardless of their initial metallicity. Other properties of the oxygen-rich stars also depend on metallicity. As the metallicity decreases, the fraction of naked (i.e. dust-free) stars increases, and among the naked star…
It has been claimed that Period-Luminosity relations derived from infrared observations of Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) Cepheids are less dependent on the metallicity of the Cepheids. In this work, infrared observations of LMC Cepheids from the SAGE survey are combined with OGLE II optical observation to model and predict mass-loss rates. The mass-loss rates are fit to the data and are predicted to range from about 10^{-12} to 10^{-7}M_\odot/yr; however, the rates depend on the assumed value of the dust-to-gas ratio. By comparing the relations derived from observations to the relations derived…
A recent data analysis of the far-infrared (FIR) map of the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds has shown that there is a tight correlation between two FIR colours: the 60 um-100 um and 100 um-140 um colours. This FIR colour relation called ``main correlation'' can be interpreted as indicative of a sequence of various interstellar radiation fields with a common FIR optical property of grains. In this paper, we constrain the FIR optical properties of grains by comparing the calculated FIR colours with the observational main correlation. We show that neither of the ``standard'' grain species (i.e. …
We discuss the young population of stars and clusters in the Magellanic Clouds. We present the discovery of pre-main sequence candidates in the nebula N~11 in the Large Magellanic Clouds using HST ACS photometry. The comparison of the Colour-Magnitude diagram with pre-main sequence tracks and the presence of Spitzer objects YSO I and II suggest that the star formation has been active for a long period in the region, from a few $10^5$ yrs to several Myr ago
We have used the instruments on the Spitzer Space Telescope to study the Large Magellanic Cloud supernova remnants (SNRs) N11L, N44, N49, N206, N63A, and N157B. The two large SNRs N44 and N206 were not detected in any IRAC or MIPS wavebands; the remainder were detected at one or more wavelengths. In particular, the SNRs N49 and N63A each had features that were evident in all available IRAC and MIPS bands. Each of these two also displayed faint limb emission in the MIPS 24 micron band only. IRS spectra obtained for the N49 SNR showed a number of prominent lines, with little continuum contributi…
We present the results of photometric measurements from images of the LMC cluster ESO 121-SC03 taken with HST/ACS. Our resulting CMD reaches 3 magnitudes below the main-sequence turn-off, representing the deepest observation of this cluster to date. We also present similar photometry from ACS imaging of the accreted Sagittarius dSph cluster Pal. 12, used in this work as a comparison cluster. From analysis of its CMD, we obtain estimates for the metallicity and reddening of ESO 121-SC03: [Fe/H] = -0.97 +/- 0.10 and E(V-I) = 0.04 +/- 0.02, in excellent agreement with previous studies. The observ…
We present deep ground-based {\it B} and {\it R} observations of 12 fields in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The resulting color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) reach the oldest main-sequence (MS) turnoff at M$_{R}$$\thicksim$3.5 and reveal the stellar population differences between the part of the galaxy facing the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and an area on the opposite side. In the Southern part of the galaxy, we found that there are still intermediate-age stars as far as 4 kpc from the SMC center. The Chemical Enrichment History (CEH) in one of our SMC fields is also presented.
We present photometry and a preliminary interpretation of a UBVR survey of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. We determine improved values for the relative number of blue and red supergiants. We also compare the relative number of Red Supergiants (RSGs) and Wolf-Rayet stars, demonstrating a strong, tight correlation with metallicity, and reinvestigate the initial mass function slope of massive stars found in the field.
We report the results of the observations in the JHK bands of 12 globular clusters in the LMC, and present CMDs down to K=16 for about 450 stars. We merge the data with the BV ones presented in paper I and use the merged data to study the evolution of integrated magnitudes and colours of SSPs. We find that the AGB contributes about 60 percent of integrated clusters light in K, while the contribution from RGB is correlated with the age of the cluster. The age at which the first appearance of the RGB takes place depends on the models adopted ranging from about 600 Myr in the "classical" models t…
Some recent results on AGB research in the Magellanic Clouds are reviewed. Discussed are optical and IRAS based surveys, and recent results from the near-infrared DENIS survey, and ISO observations.
We present a brief summary of the ISO survey of AGB stars in 8 populous intermediate age clusters of the Magellanic Clouds. Totally, more than 100 AGB and RGB stars were observed at 4.5, 6.7 and 12 $μ$m. We introduce a new method to estimate effective temperatures of oxygen-rich AGB stars, and derive precise bolometric magnitudes and effective temperatures for a large population of AGB objects in both LMC and SMC. The derived stellar parameters are used to construct observed HR diagrams which are employed further to estimate cluster ages using the isochrone fitting. We show that proposed metho…
The infrared (IR) emission from interstellar dust in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is modelled using a mixture of amorphous silicate and carbonaceous grains, including a population of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. (1) It is shown that this dust model is able to reproduce the spectral energy distribution from near-IR to far-IR for the entire SMC Bar region, provided the PAH abundance in the SMC Bar region is very low. (2) The IR spectrum of the SMCB1#1 molecular cloud can also be reproduced by our dust model provided the PAH abundance is increased relative to the overall S…
We present the initial results from the Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (S3MC), which imaged the star-forming body of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) in all seven MIPS and IRAC wavebands. We find that the F_8/F_24 ratio (an estimate of PAH abundance) has large spatial variations and takes a wide range of values that are unrelated to metallicity but anticorrelated with 24 um brightness and F_24/F_70 ratio. This suggests that photodestruction is primarily responsible for the low abundance of PAHs observed in star-forming low-metallicity galaxies. We use the S3MC images to compile a…
This is a progress report of the study of pulsating main-sequence stars in the LMC. Using the OGLE-II photometry supplemented by the MACHO photometry, we find 64 Beta Cephei stars in the LMC. Their periods are generally much longer than observed in stars of this type in the Galaxy (the median value is 0.27 d compared with 0.17 d in the Galaxy). In 20 stars with short periods attributable to the Beta Cephei-type instability, we also find modes with periods longer than 0.4 d. They are likely low-order g modes, which means that in these stars both kinds of variability, Beta Cephei and SPB, are ob…
We have observed a sample of 36 objects in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with the Infrared Spectrometer on the Spitzer Space Telescope. Nineteen of these sources are carbon stars. An examination of the near- and mid-infrared photometry shows that the carbon-rich and oxygen-rich dust sources follow two easily separated sequences. A comparison of the spectra of the 19 carbon stars in the SMC to spectra from the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) of carbon stars in the Galaxy reveals significant differences. The absorption bands at 7.5 um and 13.7 um due to C2H2 are stronger in the SMC sample, a…
We present the OGLE-III Photometric Maps of the Large Magellanic Cloud. They cover about 40 square degrees of the LMC and contain mean, calibrated VI photometry and astrometry of about 35 million stars observed during seven observing seasons of the third phase of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment - OGLE-III. We discuss the quality of data and present color-magnitude diagrams of selected fields. The OGLE-III Photometric Maps of the LMC are available to the astronomical community from the OGLE Internet archive.
We present ground-based B and R-band color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), reaching the oldest main-sequence turnoffs with good photometric accuracy for twelve fields in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Our fields, located between ~1 and ~4 degrees from the center of the galaxy, are situated in different parts of the SMC such as the "Wing'' area, and towards the West and South. In this paper we perform a first analysis of the stellar content in our SMC fields through comparison with theoretical isochrones and color functions (CFs). We find that the underlying spheroidally distributed population is…
To show the importance of high-spatial resolution observations of HII regions when compared with observations obtained with larger apertures such as ISO, we present mid-infrared spectra of two Magellanic Cloud HII regions, N88A and N160A. We obtained mid-infrared (8-13 um), long-slit spectra with TIMMI2 on the ESO 3.6m telescope. These are combined with archival spectra obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope, and are compared with the low-spatial resolution ISO-SWS data. An inventory of the spectra in terms of atomic fine-structure lines and molecular…
We observed 36 evolved stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) using the low-resolution mode of the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope. Two of these stars, MSX SMC 014 and 155, have nearly featureless spectral energy distributions over the IRS wavelength range (5.2-35 um) and F_nu peaking at ~8-9 um. The data can be fit by sets of amorphous carbon shells or by single 600-700 K blackbodies. The most similar spectra found in extant spectral databases are of R CrB, although the spectral structure seen in R CrB and similar stars is much weaker or absent in the SMC sources…
We have carried out an infrared search for obscured AGB stars in the Magellanic Clouds. The survey uncovered a number of obscured AGB stars as well as some supergiants with infrared excess. We present photometry of the sources and discuss the colour diagrams and bolometric luminosities. Most of the AGB stars are luminous, often close to the classical limit of $M_{\rm bol}=-7.1$. To determine whether the stars are oxygen-rich or carbon-rich, we have acquired narrow-band mid-infrared photometry with the ESO TIMMI camera for several sources. All but one are found to show the silicate feature and …
We present the discovery of four X-ray quasars (z_em = 0.26, 0.53, 0.61, 1.63) located behind the Large Magellanic Cloud; three of them are located behind the bar of the LMC. The quasars were identified via spectroscopy of optical counterparts to X-ray sources found serendipitously by the Chandra X-ray Observatory satellite. All four quasars have archival VI photometry from the OGLE-II project; one of them was found by OGLE to be variable. We present the properties of the quasars and discuss their possible applications.
The mid-infrared (5-16 micron) spectral energy distribution for an individual quiescent molecular cloud in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) was observed using ISOCAM. The spectrum is dominated by broad emission bands at 6.2, 7.7, and 11.3 microns, with weaker bands at 8.6 and 12.7 microns. As these are the same bands, with similar shape and relative strengths, as observed in the ISM of our Galaxy, the same carriers must exist in both galaxies. The carriers are widely consider to be large molecules or clusters of aromatic hydrocarbons, which absorb ultraviolet and visible photons and emit mid-i…
We present N-band photometry for a sample of 21 dust- enshrouded AGB stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and three additional sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Together with near-IR photometry, this is used to give a tentative classification into carbon and oxygen-rich atmospheres. Bolometric luminosities are also estimated for these stars. In addition, we present the results of a survey for OH masers in the LMC, which resulted in the discovery of OH maser emission from IRAS04407-7000. Spectra between 600 and 1000 nm have been obtained for two heavily obscured AGB stars in the LMC, confi…
We present our analysis of archival Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 observations in F555W (~V) and F450W (~B) of the intermediate-age populous star cluster NGC 416 in the Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy. We use published photometry of two other SMC populous star clusters, Lindsay 1 and Lindsay 113, to investigate the age sequence of these three star clusters. We estimate that these clusters have age ratios of age_NGC416/age_L1 ~= 0.73 +- 0.05 and age_L113/age_L1 ~= 0.52 +- 0.09, using an extrapolation of the d_(B-V) method (which uses the color difference between the red hor…
We have obtained deep imaging in the near-infrared J and K bands for 2 nearby fields in the bar of the LMC with the ESO NTT telescope, under exquisite seeing conditions. The K, J-K color-magnitude diagrams constructed from these data are of outstanding photometric quality and reveal the presence of several hundreds of red clump stars. Using the calibration of Alves for the K-band absolute magnitude of Hipparcos-observed red clump stars in the solar neigbourhood we derive a distance modulus to our observed LMC fields of 18.487 mag. Applying a correction for the tilt of the LMC bar with respect …
As a result of a careful selection of eclipsing binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud using the OGLE-II photometric database, we present a list of 98 systems that are suitable targets for spectroscopic observations that would lead to the accurate determination of the distance to the LMC. For these systems we derive preliminary parameters combining the OGLE-II data with the photometry of MACHO and EROS surveys. In the selected sample, 58 stars have eccentric orbits. Among these stars we found fourteen systems showing apsidal motion. The data do not cover the whole apsidal motion cycle, but fol…
Hubble Space Telescope V,I photometry of stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud Cluster NGC 1866 shows a well defined cluster main sequence down to V=25 mag, with little contamination from field or foreground stars. We use the main sequence fitting procedure to link the distance of NGC 1866 to the Hipparcos determination of the distance for the Hyades MS stars, making use of evolutionary prescriptions to allow for differences in the chemical composition. On this basis we find a true distance modulus for NGC 1866 of 18.35 +/- 0.05 mag. If the cluster is assumed to lie in the LMC plane then the LMC…
Near-infrared photometry of transiting extrasolar planets can be of great scientific value. It is however not straightforward to reach the necessary millimagnitude precision. Here we report on our attempts to observe transits and secondary eclipses of several extrasolar planets at 2.2 micron. Best results have been obtained on OGLE-TR-113b using the SOFI near-infrared camera on ESO's New Technology Telescope. Its K-band transit shows a remarkably flat bottom indicating low stellar limb darkening. Secondary eclipse photometry has resulted in a formal 3 sigma detection, but residual systematic e…
This paper concludes a series of three papers presenting ROSAT High-Resolution Imager (HRI) observations of unidentified Einstein and serendipitous ROSAT X-ray sources in the direction of the Magellanic Clouds. Accurate positions and fluxes have been measured for these sources. Optical photometry and spectroscopy were obtained to search for identifications in order to determine the physical nature of these sources. The present paper includes new data for 24 objects; identifications are given or confirmed for 30 sources. For six sources optical finding charts showing the X-ray positions are pro…
We present optical and near-infrared photometry of 45 clusters of galaxies at 0.1 < z < 1.3. Galaxy catalogs in each cluster were defined at the longest wavelenth available, generally the K-band, down to approximately two magnitudes below M*. We include finding chart images of the band used for catalog definition. The photometry has been used in previously published papers to examine the origin and evolution of galaxies in distant clusters.
We identify the probable optical counterpart of the SMC supersoft source, RX~J0059.2-7138, with a $\sim$~14th magnitude star lying within the X-ray error circle. We present high resolution optical spectroscopy, which reveals strong HI emission and HeI absorption, indicative of a Be star. This classification is consistent with the colours we derive from optical photometry. We thus find evidence to support the existing tentative identification of this object as a Be/X-ray binary, the first of its kind to exhibit luminous supersoft X-ray emission.
We present near infrared photometry of the Type Ia supernova 1999ee; also, optical and infrared photometry of the Type Ia SNe 2000bh, 2000ca, and 2001ba. For SNe 1999ee and 2000bh we present the first-ever SN photometry at 1.035 microns (the Y-band). We present K-corrections which transform the infrared photometry in the observer's frame to the supernova rest frame. Using our infrared K-corrections and stretch factors derived from optical photometry, we construct JHK templates which can be used to determine the apparent magnitudes at maximum if one has some data in the window -12 to +10 d with…
We present photometry in the J and K near-infrared bands for two regions centered on the young open clusters NGC 1893 and Berkeley 86. We study 700 stars down to K = 17 in the field of NGC 1893, and about 2000 stars in the field of Berkeley 86 down to K$\sim$ 16.5, for which near-infrared photometry was insofar not available. Coupling J-K data with UBV photometry taken from literature, we produce reddening corrected colour-magnitude diagrams. We find that our data are consistent with previous determinations: the clusters are roughly coeval with an age between 4 and 6 million years. The mean re…
We present 5 - 40 micron spectroscopy of 41 planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Magellanic Clouds, observed with the Infrared Spectrograph on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. The spectra show the presence of a combination of nebular emission lines and solid-state features from dust, superimposed on the thermal IR continuum. By analyzing the 25 LMC and 16 SMC PNe in our sample we found that the IR spectra of 14 LMC and 4 SMC PNe are dominated by nebular emission lines, while the other spectra show solid-state features. We observed that the solid-state features are compatible with carbon-rich dust …
We use the OGLE-II and OGLE-III data in conjunction with the 2MASS near-infrared (NIR) photometry to identify and study Miras and Semiregular Variables (SRVs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We found in total 3221 variables of both types, populating two of the series of NIR period-luminosity (PL) sequences. The majority of these objects are double periodic pulsators, with periods belonging to both PL ridges. We indicate that in the period - Wesenheit index plane the oxygen-rich and carbon-rich AGB stars from the NIR PL sequences C, C' and D split into well separated ridges. Thus, we discover an…
We have imaged the entire Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), one of the two nearest star-forming dwarf galaxies, in all seven IRAC and MIPS bands. The low mass and low metallicity (1/6 solar) of the SMC make it the best local analog for primitive galaxies at high redshift. By studying the properties of dust and star formation in the SMC at high resolution, we can gain understanding of similar distant galaxies that can only be observed in much less detail. In this contribution, we present a preliminary analysis of the properties of point sources detected in the Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic…
Two days of observations were conducted at the Palomar Observatory during the nights of 25 and 26 February 1997 with the Hale telescope, in order to search for rapid variability in the near-infrared (NIR) bands J, H, Ks for a selection of eight blazars. With the possible exception of PKS 1156+295, no intraday or day-to-day variability was observed during these two nights. However, for these eight blazars, we have measured the NIR spectral indices.
