The Compton-thick active galactic nucleus NGC 1068 has received increased attention since IceCube results reported high-energy neutrinos associated with the source. Numerous models attribute neutrino production to the region in or near the corona. The very high absorption column makes the X-ray/soft gamma-ray characteristics of the core not directly visible. Using broadband hard X-ray observations, we investigated various geometries to constrain the intrinsic nuclear flux from the core. We compare our results with both the assumed corona models (the main ingredient of the cascade process) and the predicted cascade spectra of the neutrino production models. We analyzed NuSTAR spectra from two periods along with the long-term average spectra from INTEGRAL/IBIS/ISGRI and INTEGRAL/SPI from 2.5--500,keV using MYTorus models. We tested multiple MYTorus scenarios based on analyses of other Compton-thick AGN. ̧irc ) and (0^ ̧irc ) compared to a ``coupled'' scenario or a decoupled scenario with only a (90^ ̧irc ) or (0^ ̧irc ) component. In this scenario, the differences between the datasets can be explained by changes in the line-of-sight absorption column. For that geometry, the spectrum of the intrinsic nuclear component has a (Γ = 1.96), (E_ cut ) fixed to 500 keV, best-fit normalization (∼ 0.017),ph/cm(^ 2 )/s/keV and a 99% upper-limit normalization of (∼ 0.095),ph/cm(^ 2 )/s/keV at 1 keV, which corresponds to 2--10,keV intrinsic luminosities of (1.2 10^ 42 ),erg/s and (6.4 10^ 42 ),erg/s, respectively. A comparison with four published neutrino production models in NGC 1068 found that our best-fit intrinsic nuclear spectrum is significantly lower than the predicted cascade spectrum for one of them, while for two others, our results are below the assumed X-ray model ((∼ 5-10 questioning the resulting cascade spectra. Finally, the fourth model is marginally consistent with our results. However, this does not exclude neutrino production in the central part of the source.

The so-called ``Galactic center lobe'' (GCL) is an extended (∼1̧irc) radio continuum feature situated above the Galactic plane, the nature and location of which have been subject to varying claims in the literature. Using new optical integral field spectroscopic observations from the SDSS-V Local Volume Mapper, we confirm the characterization of the GCL as a foreground photoionized region, not associated with the Galactic center. We present a new analysis of the ionized gas morphology, line ratio diagnostics, and kinematics. From our emission line map, which suffers the least extinction, we identify ionized gas emission throughout a closed outer loop, which does not fill the GCL interior. All optical line ratio diagnostics are consistent with photoionization. By comparing the ionized gas reddening from the Balmer decrement with 3D dust maps, we directly constrain the distance to the GCL to ∼2 kpc. ∋iłambda6583 line kinematics show a uniform velocity structure across the GCL, further confirming that the entire bubble is one structure. The size and emission line morphology is strongly reminiscent of that seen in the nearby Barnard's Loop, providing a possible analog to explain how this outer shell may be photoionized by a more distant and off-center embedded young cluster. We suggest that the acronym GCL be repurposed to instead abbreviate the name ``greatly confused loop'’.

The environmental mechanisms driving unwinding spiral arms in cluster galaxies remain debated. While earlier studies attributed this phenomenon primarily to gravitational interactions, more recent works suggest that ram-pressure stripping (RPS) alone can induce unwinding arms. Using VLT/MUSE observations, we present a spatially resolved investigation of the external mechanisms responsible for spiral-arm unwinding. We focused on two galaxies, UG101 and UG103, selected from a larger sample of unwinding systems. They are selected as tidal- and RPS-driven candidates, respectively, based on the presence or absence of close neighbors. We estimated the galactocentric radius at which tidal forces, either from a companion or the cluster potential, become relevant (R_ tid ). We examined gas and stellar kinematics, exploiting how these two components respond differently to gravitational and hydrodynamical perturbations. The spectrophotometric code was used to map stellar populations in different age bins and constrain the unwinding timescale for each galaxy. For UG101, we find R_ tid ,≈,1.5,R_e, while the unwound features extend beyond this radius. Additionally, UG101 shows irregular stellar and gas kinematics; its rotation curve indicates similar stellar and gas motions, although the gas appears truncated on one side and extended on the other. For UG103, neither the closest companion (r_̊m proj∼117,kpc) nor the cluster appears capable of triggering the unwinding arms through tidal forces. UG103 displays regular stellar kinematics but disturbed gas kinematics, with a truncation on the disk side that likely faces the intracluster medium wind and gas extended in the opposite direction. Stellar population maps show the emergence and subsequent unwinding of the spiral arms in UG103 on timescales consistent with its inferred cluster infall time (∼,1.6,Gyr). We conclude that spiral-arm unwinding in UG101 and UG103 is primarily driven by tidal interactions and RPS, respectively, although a combined effect cannot be excluded in the case of UG101. Our methodology provides a robust framework to disentangle the mechanisms driving spiral-arm unwinding in cluster galaxies from their spatially resolved properties.

We present and interpret the data of the nearby hydrogen-deficient but helium-rich superluminous supernova SN 2021bnw, which reached a magnitude of -20.7 at maximum luminosity in g band. We discuss the light curves and spectra of SN 2021bnw based on its spectro-photometric follow-up, exploiting different observational facilities. We reproduced the near-IR spectrum of SN 2021bnw with to inspect the chemical composition at late photospheric phases and identify helium features. We also used a model coupling hydrodynamics and radiation transport to constrain the physical parameters of the explosion assuming a TARDIS STELLA 56 Ni+CSM scenario. We suggest that SN 2021bnw was mainly powered by the interaction of the ejecta with a previously lost He-rich circumstellar material, coupled with a central power source. This work expands the data sample of He-rich superluminous supernovae (SLSNe Ib), and for a single-progenitor scenario, it can constrain the masses and physics of their progenitors.

We investigate the relation between supermassive black holes (SMBHs), their host galaxies, and large-scale dark-matter halos by combining broad-line X-ray active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the XMM--XXL and Stripe,82X surveys with galaxies from VIPERS and SDSS/Stripe,82. Building on the homogeneous host-galaxy catalogue developed in Paper I, we test whether AGNs with a given black-hole mass, M_̊m BH, occupy the same or different large-scale environments as non-AGN galaxies with statistically indistinguishable host properties. We characterised the empirical M_̊m BH--M_⋆ distribution of the AGN sample. A shallow scaling between M_̊m BH and stellar mass, M_⋆, is present, but with a large intrinsic scatter influenced by flux-limited selection and virial-mass uncertainties. The ratio ̊m BH /M_⋆ declines with increasing M_⋆ over the sampled range. Overmassive and undermassive AGN subsets, defined relative to this empirical trend, exhibit distinct median host properties consistent with partially non-synchronous SMBH and M_⋆ growth. We then selected AGNs in two M_̊m BH intervals, 8.0 łe łog(M_ ̊m BH /M_⊙) < 8.5 and 8.5 łe łog(M_ ̊m BH /M_⊙) < 9.0, and constructed galaxy control samples matched in M_⋆, SFR, and sSFR ($= $) using a multivariate nearest-neighbour procedure. Using AGN--galaxy cross-correlation functions, we inferred characteristic halo masses for AGNs and matched galaxies in each bin. The AGNs with 8.0 łe łog(M_ SFR M_⋆ ̊m BH /M_⊙) < 8.5 occupy halos statistically indistinguishable from those of their controls, indicating no detectable environmental dependence at these masses once host properties are controlled. In the higher-mass bin, 8.5 łe łog(M_ ̊m BH /M_⊙) < 9.0, we find a mild indication that AGNs may reside in more massive halos than the matched non-AGN galaxies. The inferred difference is sim0.4,dex but remains formally consistent within the uncertainties. If confirmed with larger samples, this may indicate that halo-scale processes become increasingly relevant only at the highest M_̊m BH, while at lower masses AGN environments remain indistinguishable from those of inactive galaxies with similar host properties.

We present the spectroscopic confirmation and in-depth analysis of =2.0834 with łog(M_⋆/M_⊙)=9.6, observed with medium-resolution JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy. Its stellar mass places approximately ten times lower than the knee of the stellar mass function for quiescent galaxies at z ^ a low-mass quiescent galaxy at z_ ̊m spec The deep medium-resolution spectrum enables the measurement of its stellar velocity dispersion (σ_⋆ = 95_ -33 +38 -1 ), the smallest value recorded among spectroscopically confirmed quiescent galaxies at z /M_⊙)=9.75_ Coupled with a compact size (0.41 in the rest-frame optical), the stellar velocity dispersion yields a dynamical mass estimate of łog(M_ ̊m kpc ̊m dyn -0.38 ^ +0.29 , consistent with the stellar mass, confirming the true low-mass nature of this galaxy and placing a first constraint on its initial mass function. Joint spectro-photometric spectral energy distribution fitting reveals a star formation history in which half the stellar mass was in place Gyr before the observed epoch, with quenching occurring Gyr prior to z=2.08. These results confirm that is genuinely quenched, rather than in a temporary phase of suppressed star formation. is consistent with the mass fundamental plane at z which was previously constrained only by massive quiescent systems with M_⋆ ,M_⊙ at cosmic noon. Compared with more massive counterparts at the same epoch observed with similar NIRSpec grating spectroscopy, the time since quenching for 11 is among the shortest observed. The star formation history of is broadly consistent with predictions for quiescent galaxies of similar mass and redshift in the IllustrisTNG and SHARK models. The galaxy resides in a possible dense group-scale (sim50 kpc) environment containing one companion with tentative spectroscopic redshift and five low-mass companion candidates with similar redshifts, and it is embedded in a large known protocluster on megaparsec scales. A potential environmental influence on its evolution could explain the outside-in quenching suggested by the positive gradient of size with wavelength. This study demonstrates that deep JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy enables low-mass quiescent galaxies at cosmic noon to be characterized with a level of detail long reserved for massive systems, offering valuable new insights into how quenching operates in these underexplored, low-mass systems.

Low-resolution spectrographs used to have difficulties in determining redshifts of galaxies at z and z Spectral emission and absorption lines of magnesium and iron redshifted to z fall close to hydrogen, silicon, and oxygen lines at z , signal enhancement, and line fitting by -routines. The reevaluation confirms the previous result based on six absorption features, z=0.820 ± 0.001, and four emission features, z=0.821 ± 0.002. The alternative z=3.199± 0.003, based on six absorption and two emission lines, is a worse fit, also compared to other spectra. Moreover, we find the MOIRCS spectrum inconclusive: observations cover two of three multiple images, with the slit for image C only covering its central bulge; furthermore the pixel-to-wavelength calibration requires a nightsky emission-line calibration due to a missing calibration arc lamp. New MOIRCS observations are needed to verify that Hamilton's Object has the smallest separation between lensing cluster and source galaxy among known cluster-scale strong lenses. Here, we demonstrate that even with modern, integrated field unit spectrographs, this task remains challenging. Hamilton's Object, a blue star-forming galaxy, gravitationally lensed into three multiple images by the galaxy cluster SDSS J223010.47-081017.8, is such a case. Using the Blue Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) its redshift was determined as z=0.82, while its MOIRCS spectrum hinted at z=3.201. To resolve the ambiguity, we completely reanalyse the Blue KCWI spectra of all three multiple images including the star-forming region in the outskirts. We employ a new data reduction pipeline, PypeIt Python in angular diameter distance the

The obliquity between a planet's orbital axis and its host star's spin axis provides crucial insights into planetary formation and migration. Planets with scaled semi-major axes (a/R_⋆) large enough to be unaffected by tidal alterations (`tidally detached') offer a unique opportunity to study the original obliquity in which the system formed. We therefore observed TOI-1710 b (a/R_⋆ ≈ 36) in transit using HARPS-N + GIANO-B, collecting high-precision radial velocities to measure the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. Spectral analysis of the Hα and HeI triple lines was also pursued to evaluate atmospheric photoevaporation. Using our knowledge of the star rotation period (21.5 ± 0.2 d), we estimated a true obliquity of ψ = 149 ^ +11 _ -10 deg, which indicates a retrograde motion, thus placing TOI-1710 b among the most misaligned systems -- and making it the only one known to orbit a cool star in retrograde motion. The strong misalignment favours a high-eccentricity migration (HEM) origin for this low-density super-Neptune planet in the savanna region, challenging previous findings that claimed a minor role of HEM in this period-radius(-density) domain. Moreover, the strong misalignment and lack of a detected close stellar companion suggest a purely planetary post-migration misalignment, likely due to planet-planet scattering followed by planet-planet Kozai-Lidov oscillations and tidal circularisation.

Observational surveys show that at least ∼ 30% of short-period multi-planet systems contain planets in tightly packed orbits. Some of these systems are locked in stable chains of mean-motion resonances. Although significant advances have been made in recent years, our understanding of the dynamical stability of these systems remains incomplete. Overall, numerical simulations show that the general trend is an exponential increase in a system's lifetime with increasing orbital separation, with mean motion resonances being a key mechanism that modulates stability. Tightly packed three-planet systems exhibit a specific dynamical behavior that is not yet found in systems with more planets: a small yet significant fraction of the phase space of very compact three-planet systems is anomalously stable. This study investigates the dynamics of extremely compact three-planet systems, focusing on those that are anomalously long-lived, and explores their connection to resonant chains observed in exoplanetary systems. We used numerical integrators to explore the dynamics of coplanar, initially circular, tightly packed, and equal-mass three-planet systems over timescales on the order of the star's lifetime, with a very high resolution in orbital separation. We analyzed the results in light of recent analytical studies. We identify the fraction of phase space with anomalously stable, very tightly packed orbits, including systems that are orders of magnitude longer-lived than expected from the exponential trend. We show an unambiguous link between the stability of these systems and isolated three-body mean-motion resonances. We find that very tightly packed three-planet systems can remain stable when captured in a small subset of isolated zeroth-order three-body resonances. Stability critically depends on the initial orbital longitudes and on the interplay between the three-body mean-motion resonance network and the two-body mean-motion resonance network.

Our limited understanding of the winds of massive stars hampers our ability to predict their evolution. We currently often rely on mass-loss rate prescriptions that show strong features that lack a firm empirical confirmation, such as the bi-stability jump. This bi-stability jump is a pronounced increase in mass loss in the decreasing temperature regime T_ ̊m eff ∼28-21,kK, i.e., spectral types B1-B2. Different prescriptions also give different metallicity dependences; these sometimes include a dependence on effective temperature, luminosity or both, that may also differ among prescriptions. Although recent papers have compared empirical results to prescriptions, a large observational sample of B stars for which the wind has been scrutinised over different metallicity ranges is still lacking. Through the modelling of both ultraviolet (from the ULLYSES programme) and optical (from the XShootU programme) high-resolution spectra, we determined the stellar and wind parameters, including detailed clumping parameters, of 24 SMC B stars ranging in T_ eff from 13 to 29,kK. By combining this sample with LMC studies, we compared the wind behaviour of B stars in two different metallicity regimes. We compared our results to common mass-loss rate prescriptions to test features present in these models and their metallicity dependence. We have used the model atmosphere code fastwind and the genetic algorithm code Kiwi-GA to fit the UV and optical spectra simultaneously. This allows us to determine wind properties including clumping behaviour. The moderate to strong metallicity trends present in the mass-loss prescriptions (dot M ∝ Z^ 0.41-1.4 ) explored here overestimate the empirical metallicity dependence in the B-star regime, which appears very weak. Similarly to a previous study of B supergiants in the LMC, we do not find a sudden increase in mass-loss rate at approximately spectral type B1, but only a weak temperature trend. As in this LMC study, we show that on average around 40% of the wind mass is located in the wind medium between the clumps. Using other studies from this paper series, we compiled a sample of 80+ O and B stars in the SMC and LMC. From a comparison we find a clear difference in O- and B-type metallicity dependence. The apparent lack of a bi-stability jump in the B-star regime and a very weak metallicity dependence for the same stars offers new empirical constraints to theoretical models of line-driven winds. As differences between these models are large (reaching orders of magnitude in parts of parameter space) such constraints are much needed. More studies exploring the mass-loss rates of B stars and cooler objects will be helpful to our understanding of hot star winds.