The GGSS is a partially-filled, all-sky survey to identify K-giant stars with low level of RV-variability. We study histograms of the radial velocity (RV) variability obtained in the early phase of the Grid Giant Star Survey (GGSS, Bizyaev et al., 2006). This part of the survey has been conducted with a very limited nubmer of observations per star, and rough accuracy. We apply the Monte-Carlo s...

Doppler measurements of the M4 dwarf star, Gliese 876, taken at both Lick and Keck Observatory reveal periodic, Keplerian velocity variations with a period of 61 days. The orbital fit implies that the companion has a mass of, M = 2.1 MJUP/ sin i, an orbital eccentricity of, e = 0.27±0.03, and a semimajor axis of, a = 0.21 AU. The planet is the first found around an M dwarf, and was drawn from a...

I calculate the specific angular momentum of mass accreted by a binary system embedded in the dense wind of a mass losing asymptotic giant branch star. The accretion flow is of the Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton type. For most of the relevant parameters space the flow is basically an isothermal high Mach number accretion flow. I find that when the orbital plane of the accreting binary system and the orb...

Follow the big stars! I review the theory of detection and parameter measurement of planetary systems by follow-up observations of ongoing microlensing events. Two parameters can generically be measured from the event itself: the planet/star mass ratio, q, and the planet/star separation in units of the Einstein ring. I emphasize the advantages of monitoring events with giant-star sources which ...

We present the near-IR (K′-band, i.e.: λ = 2.1 μm) Tully-Fisher (TF) relation for a sample of 50 giant and dwarf late-type galaxies, selected from the Virgo Cluster Catalogue. We find that L ∝ V 4 Max along a range of 8 K′-mag for galaxies with different Hubble types (from Sa to Im-BCD), phenomenologies, structures, star-formation histories, masses, dark-to-luminous mass ratios, metallicities a...

A survey of currently known planet-hosting stars indicates that approximately 25% of extrasolar planetary systems are within dual-star environments. Several of these systems contain stellar companions on moderately close orbits, implying that studies of the formation and dynamical evolution of giant and terrestrial planets, in and around binary star systems have now found realistic grounds. Wit...

We analyze a light curve of the symbiotic star BF Cyg, covering 114 years of its photometric history. The star had a major outburst around the year 1894. Since then the mean optical brightness of the system is in steady decline, reaching only in the last few years its pre-outburst value. Superposed on this general decline are some 6 less intense outbursts of 1-2 magnitude and duration of 2000-5...

By using the ALFA adaptive optics system at the 3.6m telescope of the Calar Alto Observatory we detected a faint red star in the apparent vicinity of FU Ori, the prototype of the FUor outburst stars. Independent confirmation of the detection is obtained from archival PUEO/CFHT images. The separation between the companion candidate and FU Ori is 0.50 and their brightness contrast is around 4 mag...

We have determined the angular diameters of two metal-poor stars, HD 122563 and Gmb 1830, using CHARA and Palomar Testbed Interferometer observations. For the giant star HD 122563, we derive an angular diameter θ3D = 0.940 ± 0.011 milliarcseconds (mas) using limb-darkening from 3D convection simulations and for the dwarf star Gmb 1830 (HD 103095) we obtain a 1D limb-darkened angular diameter θ1...

The distribution of stellar masses that form in one star formation event in a given volume of space is called the initial mass function (IMF). The IMF has been estimated from low-mass brown dwarfs to very massive stars. Combining IMF estimates for different populations in which the stars can be observed individually unveils an extraordinary uniformity of the IMF. This general insight appears to...