New quasars behind the Magellanic Clouds: II. Spectroscopic confirmation of 136 near-infrared selected candidates (2024)
Journal Article
Ivanov, V. D., Cioni, M.-R. L., Dennefeld, M., de Grijs, R., Craig, J. E. M., van Loon, J. T., …Haberl, F. (2024). New quasars behind the Magellanic Clouds: II. Spectroscopic confirmation of 136 near-infrared selected candidates. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 687, Article A16. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346504

Context. Quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) are a basis for an absolute reference system for astrometric studies. A system like this at the far side of nearby galaxies is required to facilitate measuring of the proper motions of these galaxies. However, th... Read More about New quasars behind the Magellanic Clouds: II. Spectroscopic confirmation of 136 near-infrared selected candidates.

A Galactic Eclipse: The Small Magellanic Cloud Is Forming Stars in Two Superimposed Systems (2024)
Journal Article
Murray, C. E., Hasselquist, S., Peek, J. E. G., Lindberg, C. W., Almeida, A., Choi, Y., …van Loon, J. T. (2024). A Galactic Eclipse: The Small Magellanic Cloud Is Forming Stars in Two Superimposed Systems. Astrophysical Journal, 962(2), Article 120. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad1591

The structure and dynamics of the star-forming disk of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) have long confounded us. The SMC is widely used as a prototype for galactic physics at low metallicity, and yet we fundamentally lack an understanding of the stru... Read More about A Galactic Eclipse: The Small Magellanic Cloud Is Forming Stars in Two Superimposed Systems.

Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the compact elliptical galaxy M32 reveals a dearth of carbon stars (2023)
Journal Article
Jones, O. C., Boyer, M. L., McDonald, I., Meixner, M., & van Loon, J. T. (2023). Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the compact elliptical galaxy M32 reveals a dearth of carbon stars. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 525(3), 3693-3702. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad2472

We present new Hubble Space Telescope WFC3/IR medium-band photometry of the compact elliptical galaxy M32, chemically resolving its thermally pulsating asymptotic giant branch stars. We find 2829 M-type stars and 57 C stars. The carbon stars are like... Read More about Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the compact elliptical galaxy M32 reveals a dearth of carbon stars.