Abstract The Milky Way is a dynamic and evolving system shaped by numerous merger events throughout its history. These mergers bring stars with kinematic and dynamic properties differing from the main stellar population. However, it remains uncertain whether any of the Galactic supernova remnants can be attributed to such a merger origin. In this work, we compare the progenitor of Kepler’s supernova to its nearby stars, “alien” stars, and in situ Milky Way stellar populations. We uncover the abnormal kinematics and dynamics of Kepler’s supernova and propose that its progenitor may have an extragalactic origin. We call the Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) produced by stars accreted into the Milky Way through merger events “alien SNe Ia” since they are cosmic immigrants. We estimate the rate of alien SNe Ia exploded recently using two methods: through galactic chemical evolution, and through a method without considering exact star formation history, introduced for the first time in this paper. We consider the past accretion of a few major satellite galaxies—Kraken, Gaia–Enceladus–Sausage, the Helmi streams, Sequoia, Sagittarius, Wukong/LMS-1, and Cetus—assuming these were dry mergers. The first method yields 1.5 × 10−5–5.0 × 10−5 yr−1, while the second method yields a comparable 3.1 − 1.1 + 1.8 × 1 0 − 5 yr − 1 as the rate estimates for recent alien SNe Ia. These estimates represent lower bounds because we assumed no postmerger star formation.

Abstract The retrograde orbit of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-7b is suggestive of high-eccentricity (high-e) migration caused by dynamical interactions with a massive companion. However, the only other known body in the system is an M dwarf located ∼103 au away, too distant to cause high-e migration without fine-tuning. Here, we present transit-timing and radial-velocity evidence for an additional stellar companion with a semimajor axis of 3 2 − 11 + 16 au, eccentricity 0.7 6 − 0.26 + 0.12 , and minimum mass of 0.1 9 − 0.06 + 0.11 M ⊙. We investigate several dynamical routes by which this nearby companion star could have played a role in converting a cold Jupiter into the retrograde hot Jupiter that is observed today. Of particular interest is a novel “eccentricity cascade” mechanism involving both of the companion stars: the outer companion periodically excites the eccentricity of the inner companion through von Zeipel–Lidov–Kozai cycles, and this eccentricity excitation is slowly transferred to the cold Jupiter via successive close encounters, eventually triggering its high-e migration. The plausibility of this mechanism in explaining HAT-P-7b shows that stellar companions traditionally considered too distant to cause hot Jupiter formation might nevertheless be responsible, with the aid of closer-orbiting massive companions. With these developments, HAT-P-7b is one of the few hot Jupiters for which a complete high-e migration history can be simulated based only on observed bodies, rather than invoking bodies that are beneath detection limits or that are no longer in the system.

Abstract Lambda Aquilae (λ Aql) is a nearby late B-type star with somewhat contradictory evidence of being a binary system. Here we report on a VLTI/GRAVITY interferometric observation in which we directly detected a close companion with a K band flux ratio of 2.206% at projected separation ρ = 4.72 mas ↔ 0.18 au. Isochrone fitting implies masses M A ≃ 3.0 M ⊙ and M B ≃ 0.62M ⊙ and an age of 90 Myr. The secondary can explain the X-ray emission of λ Aql. The primary should easily fill its Roche lobe in the red giant branch and trigger a common envelope event, which will most likely result in a merger.

Abstract We present the first asteroseismic analysis of the bright, nearby red giant star, HD 145250. We calculate the global seismic quantities of the star from single-sector, 2 minutes TESS photometry, and determine its mass and radius to be ∼1.4 M ⊙ and ∼16 R ⊙ using asteroseismic scaling relations. Our values agree with published non-seismic mass and radius estimates based on comparisons with stellar evolutionary models.

Abstract The detection and characterization of habitable planets around nearby stars persist as some of the foremost objectives in contemporary astrophysics. This work investigates the synergistic integration of astrometric and direct imaging techniques by capitalizing on the complementary capabilities of the Closeby Habitable Exoplanet Survey (CHES) and Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). Planetary brightness and position vary over time due to phase effects and orbital architecture, information that can be precisely provided by CHES’s astrometric measurements. By combining the precise orbital constraints from CHES with the imaging capabilities of HWO, we evaluate the improvements in detection efficiency, signal-to-noise ratio, and overall planet yield. Completeness is quantified as the fraction of injected planets that are successfully detected, while yields are estimated for various scenarios using terrestrial planet occurrence rates derived from the Kepler data set. Our results indicate that prior astrometric data significantly enhance detection efficiency. Under the adopted detection limit, our analysis indicates that prior CHES observations can increase completeness by approximately 10% and improve detection efficiency by factors ranging from 2 to 30. The findings underscore the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in the search for and characterization of habitable worlds.

Abstract We present a novel statistical algorithm, Stellar Ages, which currently infers the age, metallicity, and extinction posterior distributions of stellar populations from their magnitudes. While this paper focuses on these parameters, the framework is readily adaptable to include additional properties, such as rotation, in future work. Historical age-dating techniques either model individual stars or populations of stars, often sacrificing population context or precision for individual estimates. Stellar Ages does both, combining the strengths of these approaches to provide precise individual ages for stars while leveraging population-level constraints. We verify the algorithm’s capabilities by determining the age of synthetic stellar populations and actual stellar populations surrounding a nearby supernova, SN 2004dj. In addition to inferring an age, we infer a progenitor mass consistent with direct observations of the precursor star. The median age inferred from the brightest nearby stars is log 10 (Age yr−1) = 7.1 9 − 0.13 + 0.10 , and its corresponding progenitor mass is 13.9 5 − 1.96 + 3.33 M ⊙.

The multitude of different architectures found for evolved exoplanet systems are in all likelihood set during the initial planet-formation phase in the circumstellar disk. To understand this process, we have to study the earliest phases of planet formation. Complex sub-structures, believed to be driven by embedded planets, have been detected in a significant portion of the disks observed at high angular resolution. We aim to extend the sample of such disks to low stellar masses and to connect the disk morphology to the expected proto-planet properties. In this study, we used VLT/SPHERE to obtain resolved images on the scale of ∼10,au of the circumstellar disk in the 2MASSJ16120668-3010270 system in polarized scattered light. We searched for the thermal radiation of recently formed gas giants embedded in the disk. Additionally, we used VLT/XSHOOTER to obtain the stellar properties in the system. We resolve the disk in the 2MASSJ16120668-3010270 system for the first time in scattered near-infrared light and reveal an exceptionally structured disk. We find an inner disk (reaching out to 40,au) with two spiral arms, separated by a gap from an outer ring extending to 115,au. By comparison with our own model and hydrodynamic models from the literature, we find that these structures are consistent with the presence of an embedded gas giant with a mass range between 0.1,M_ and 5,M_ depending on the employed model and their underlying assumptions. Our SPHERE observations find a tentative candidate point source within the disk gap, the brightness of which would be consistent with this mass range if it indeed traces thermal emission by an embedded planet. This interpretation is somewhat strengthened by the proximity of this signal to compact millimeter continuum emission in the disk gap, which may trace circumplanetary material. It is, however, unclear if this tentative companion candidate could be responsible for the observed disk gap size, given its close proximity to the inner disk. Generally, our VLT/SPHERE observations set an upper limit of ∼5,M_ in the disk gap (∼0.2"-0.5"), consistently with our modeling results. The 2MASSJ16120668-3010270 system is one of only a few systems that shows this exceptional morphology of spiral arms located inside a scattered light gap and ring. We speculate that this may have to do with a higher disk viscosity compared with other systems such as PDS,70. If planets in the disk are confirmed, 2MASSJ16120668-3010270 will become a prime laboratory for the study of planet-disk interaction.

Abstract We implement a machine learning algorithm to search for extraterrestrial technosignatures in radio observations of several hundred nearby stars, obtained with the Parkes and Green Bank Telescopes by the Breakthrough Listen collaboration. Advances in detection technology have led to an exponential growth in data, necessitating innovative and efficient analysis methods. This problem is exacerbated by the large variety of possible forms an extraterrestrial signal might take, and the size of the multidimensional parameter space that must be searched. It is then made markedly worse by the fact that our best guess at the properties of such a signal is that it might resemble the signals emitted by human technology and communications, the main (yet diverse) contaminant in radio observations. We address this challenge by using a combination of simulations and machine learning methods for anomaly detection. We rank candidates by how unusual they are in frequency, and how persistent they are in time, by measuring the similarity between consecutive spectrograms of the same star. We validate that our filters significantly improve the quality of the candidates that are selected for human vetting when compared to a random selection. Of the ∼1011 spectrograms that we analyzed, we visually inspected thousands of the most promising spectrograms, and thousands more for validation, about 20,000 in total, and report that no candidate survived basic scrutiny.

Abstract Recently, M. H. Currie et al. (2023) simulated the detection of molecules in the atmospheres of temperate rocky exoplanets transiting nearby M-dwarf stars. They simulated detections via spectral cross correlation applied to high-resolution optical and near-infrared transit spectroscopy using the Extremely Large Telescopes. Currie et al. did not consider the effect of unocculted star spots, but we do that here for possible detections of molecular oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor. We find that confusion noise from unocculted star spots becomes significant for large programs that stack tens to hundreds of transits to detect these molecules. Noise from star spots increases with greater spot filling factors, and star-spot temperature has less effect than filling factor. Nevertheless, molecular oxygen, carbon dioxide, and methane could be detected in temperate rocky planets transiting nearby M-dwarfs without correcting for star spots. Water vapor detections are the most affected, with star spots contaminating the exoplanet signal as well as producing extra noise. Unocculted spots only affect transit spectroscopy when normalizing by dividing by the total flux from the star. We describe an alternate normalization method that minimizes star-spot effects by deriving and implementing an unspotted proxy spectrum for the normalization. We show that the method works in principle using realistic levels of random observational noise. Alternate normalization would be broadly applicable to all types of transit spectroscopy, and we discuss challenges to applying it in practice. We also outline a comprehensive approach that has the potential to overcome those challenges.

Context. The Sun was born in a clustered environment with ≲10 000 other stars. Given it is an isolated star today, the Sun must have left the nest. We do not directly know when that happened, how violent the ejection was, or how far its solar siblings have drifted apart. Aims. The mass of the fragile outer Öpik-Oort cloud (between rinner ∼ 30 000 au and 200 000 au from the Sun) and the orbital distribution of planetesimals in the inner Oort-Hills cloud (between ∼1000 au and ∼30 000 au) are sensitive to the dynamical processes involving the Sun in the parent cluster. We aim to understand the extent to which we can constrain the Sun’s birth environment based on observations of the Oort cloud. Methods. The approach presented in this work was based on a combination of theoretical arguments and N-body simulations. Results. We show that the current mass of the Öpik-Oort cloud (between 0.2 M⊕ and 2.0 M⊕) is best explained by the assumption that the Sun left the nest within ∼20 Myr after the giant planets formed and migrated. Conclusions. As a consequence, a possible dynamical encounter with another star, carving the Kuiper belt, the Sun’s abduction of Sedna, and other perturbations induced by nearby stars then must have taken place shortly after the giant planets in the Solar System formed – but before the Sun left the parent cluster. Signatures of the time the Sun spent in the parent cluster must still be visible in the outer parts of the Solar System even today. The strongest constraints will be the discovery of a population of relatively low-eccentricity (e ≲ 0.9) objects in the inner Oort cloud (but 500 ≲ a ≲ 104 au).

Context. Flares are a form of stellar activity that occur over short timescales but produce highly energetic outbursts. Studying stellar flares is crucial because they can significantly alter the circumstellar environment by producing intense high-energy radiation. Understanding stellar flares is essential for clarifying the environment in which planets evolve, as flares can influence planetary atmospheres by driving photoevaporation and photochemical processes. M dwarfs are of significant interest due to their high flare activity rates and the potential presence of exoplanets within their habitable zones, whose atmospheres may be influenced by flare-emitted radiation. Aims. We aimed to define the flaring properties of an unbiased sample of M dwarfs with limited volume. Using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), we characterized the frequency, energy distribution, and temporal properties of flares in nearby stars. Methods. We selected a volume-limited sample of M dwarfs within 10 pc from Earth from the Gaia DR3 catalog. We analyzed TESS light curves using an iterative Gaussian process fitting technique to remove long-term stellar activity signals, enabling the identification and characterization of impulsive flare events. For each flare, we derived the amplitudes, timescales, and total energy emitted. Results. We analyzed 173 stars and detected 17 229 flares, with 0 to 76 flares per TESS sector. We examined the frequency and energy distribution of stellar flares using three representative stars to illustrate the diversity in flare activity. We observed flares with a minimum energy of ∼1029 erg and typical durations ranging from 2 to 8000 seconds. We modeled the cumulative flare energy distribution using one-slope and two-slope fits, yielding average slopes of –0.79 ± 0.64 and –1.23 ± 1.32, respectively. We defined the Flare Energy Index (GF.01) to characterize the flare frequency and revealed two distinct populations. Fainter stars exhibited fewer high-energy flares, whereas brighter stars exhibited more frequent low-energy flares. We analyzed two highly active stars with the largest number of TESS sectors, G 227-22 and G 258-33, were analyzed over a long time baseline to explore their flare properties and energy distributions.

Abstract The main-sequence turnoff (MSTO) stars well preserve the chemical properties where they were born, making them ideal tracers for studying the stellar population. We perform a detailed chemo-dynamical analysis on moderately metal-poor (−2.0 < [Fe/H] < −1.0) MSTO stars to explore the early accretion history of the Milky Way. Our sample includes four stars observed with high-resolution spectroscopy using ESPaDOnS at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope and 163 nearby MSTO stars selected from the SAGA database with high-resolution results. Within the action-angle spaces, we identified Gaia–Sausage–Enceladus (GSE, 35 objects), stars born in the Milky Way (in situ, 31 objects), and other substructures (21 objects). We find that both GSE and in situ stars present a similar Li plateau around A(Li) ∼ 2.17. GSE shows a clear α-knee feature in Mg at [Fe/H] ∼ −1.60 ± 0.06, while the α-elements of in situ stars remain nearly constant within this metallicity range. The iron-peak elements show little difference between GSE and in situ stars except for Zn and Ni, which decrease in GSE at [Fe/H] > −1.6, while they remain constant for in situ stars. Among heavy elements, GSE shows overall enhancement in Eu, with [Ba/Eu] increasing with the metallicity, while this ratio remains almost constant for in situ stars, suggesting the contribution of longer timescale sources to the s-process in GSE. Moreover, for the first time, we present the r-process abundance pattern for an extremely r-process enhanced (r-II) GSE star, which appears consistent with the solar r-process pattern except for Pr. Further investigation of larger GSE samples using high-resolution spectra is required to explore the reason for the significantly higher Pr in the GSE r-II star.

Imaging terrestrial exoplanets around nearby stars is a formidable technical challenge, requiring the development of coronagraphs to suppress the stellar halo of diffracted light at the location of the planet. In this review, we discuss the science requirements for high-contrast imaging, present an overview of diffraction theory and the Lyot coronagraph, and define the parameters used in our optimization. We discuss the working principles of coronagraphs both in the laboratory and on-sky with current high-contrast instruments, and we describe the required algorithms and processes necessary for terrestrial planet imaging with extremely large telescopes and proposed space telescope missions: ▪ Imaging terrestrial planets around nearby stars is possible with a combination of coronagraphs and active wavefront control using feedback from wavefront sensors. ▪ Ground-based 8–40 m class telescopes can target the habitable zone around nearby M-dwarf stars with contrasts of 10−7, and space telescopes can search around solar-type stars with contrasts of 10−10. ▪ Focal plane wavefront sensing, hybrid coronagraph designs, and multiple closed loops providing active correction are required to reach the highest sensitivities. ▪ Polarization effects need to be mitigated in order to reach 10−10 contrasts while keeping exoplanet yields as high as possible. ▪ Recent technological developments, including photonics and microwave kinetic inductance detectors, will be folded into high-contrast instruments.

Abstract Near-Earth object (NEO) 1998 KY26 is a target of the Hayabusa2# spacecraft, which it will rendezvous with in 2031 July. The asteroid has been noted to rotate rapidly and has a large out-of-plane nongravitational acceleration. We present observations consisting of deep-g- and R-band imaging obtained with the Keck I/Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (LRIS) and visible spectroscopy from Gemini North/Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) taken of 1998 KY26 on 2024 June 8–9 when the asteroid was ∼0.037 au from the Earth. The asteroid does not show evidence of a dust coma and has a surface brightness profile similar to nearby background stars in the deep images. The spectrum of 1998 KY26 from the combined LRIS and GMOS observations most closely resembles Xe-type asteroids, possessing a spectral slope of 6.71% ± 0.43% 100 nm−1, and color indices g – r = 0.63 ± 0.03, r – i = 0.15 ± 0.03, i – z = 0.05 ± 0.04, and implies a diameter of ∼10 m. From our deep image stacks, we compute a 3σ upper limit on the dust production of 1998 KY26 of <10−5 kg s−1, <10−2 kg s−1, and <10−1 kg s−1 assuming μm, mm, and cm size dust particles. In addition, we compare the orbit of 1998 KY26 and other known asteroids with large nongravitational parameters to NEO population models and find that the majority, including 1998 KY26, likely originated from the inner Main Belt, while the second most numerous group originates from the outer main belt, followed by a third group possibly originating from the Jupiter Family Comet population. Given its inner Main Belt origin, its Xe-type spectrum, and rapid rotation, we hypothesize that the nongravitational acceleration of 1998 KY26 may be caused by the shedding of large dust grains from its surface due to its rotation rather than H2O vapor outgassing.

Abstract Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite photometry of the archetypal main-sequence exoplanet host star 51 Peg in two 27 days sectors separated by 2 yr contains a 4.55 days periodic signal, distinct from the 4.23 orbit of the planet. The signal is associated with the pixels containing the most flux, and there is no evidence for a companion or suitably bright background object within that aperture. No similar signal appears in nearby stars of comparable brightness nor does the signal appear in uncontaminated background, bias, or readout frames. The signal is too large and at the wrong period to be reflected light from the planet. 4.55 days would represent a synodic period (e.g., a forced oscillation of the star by the planet) if the star rotates in 60 days. Such slow rotation seems unlikely but is not conclusively ruled out by available observations.

Abstract Over the course of the past decade, advances in radial velocity and transit techniques have enabled the detection of rocky exoplanets in the habitable zones of nearby stars. Future observations with novel methods are required to characterize this sample of planets, especially those that are nontransiting. One proposed method is the Planetary Infrared Excess (PIE) technique, which would enable the characterization of nontransiting planets by measuring the excess IR flux from the planet relative to the star’s spectral energy distribution. In this work, we predict the efficacy of future observations using the PIE technique by potential future observatories such as the MIRECLE mission concept. To do so, we conduct a broad suite of 21 general circulation model (GCM) simulations, with ExoCAM, of seven nearby habitable zone targets for three choices of atmospheric composition with varying partial pressure of CO2. We then construct thermal phase curves and emission spectra by post-processing our ExoCAM GCM simulations with the Planetary Spectrum Generator (PSG). We find that all cases have distinguishable carbon dioxide and water features assuming a 90° orbital inclination. Notably, we predict that CO2 is potentially detectable at 15 μm with MIRECLE for at least four nearby known nontransiting rocky planet candidate targets in the habitable zone: Proxima Centauri b, GJ 1061 d, GJ 1002 b, and Teegarden’s Star c. Our ExoCAM GCMs and PSG post-processing demonstrate the potential to observationally characterize nearby nontransiting rocky planets and better constrain the potential for habitability in our solar neighborhood.

Context. Combining high-contrast imaging with high-resolution spectroscopy represents a powerful approach to detecting and characterizing exoplanets around nearby stars, despite the challenges posed by their faintness. Instruments like VLT/SPHERE represent the state of the art in high-contrast imaging; however, their spectral resolution (R ≈ 50) limits them to basic characterization of close companions. These instruments can observe planets with masses as low as 5–10 MJup at distances of around 10 AU from their stars. Detection limits are primarily constrained by speckle noise, which dominates over photon and detector noise at short separations around bright stars, even when advanced differential imaging techniques are used. Similarly, image stability also limits space-based high-contrast imaging capability. This speckle noise can, however, be largely mitigated by molecular mapping, a more recent method that leverages information from high-resolution spectroscopic data. Aims. Our objective is to understand and predict the effective detection limits associated with spectro-imaging data after processing with molecular mapping. This involves analyzing the propagation of fundamental noise sources, such as photon and detector noise, and comparing these predictions to real instrument data to assess performance losses due to instrument-based factors. Our goal is to identify and propose potential mitigation strategies for these additional sources of noise. Another key aim is to compare the predictions made by our analytical approach with actual observational data to validate and refine the model’s accuracy where necessary. Methods. We analyzed JWST/MIRI/MRS data using the recently developed semi-analytical and numerical tool, FastCurves, and compared the results with outputs from the end-to-end MIRI simulator. This simulator allows one to examine nonideal instrumental effects in detail. Additionally, we applied principal component analysis (PCA), a statistical method that identifies correlated patterns in the data, to help isolate systematic effects, both with and without molecular mapping. Results. Our analysis involves investigating the systematic effects introduced by the instrument, identifying their origins, and evaluating their impact on both noise and signal. We show that valuable insights are gained regarding the effects of straylight, fringes, and aliasing artifacts, each linked to different residual systematic noise terms in the data. The results are further supported by principal component analysis, which also demonstrates its effectiveness in mitigating these effects. Additionally, we explore the similarities and discrepancies between observed and modeled companion spectra from an astronomical perspective. Conclusions. We modified FastCurves to account for systematic effects and improve its modeling of MIRI/MRS noise, with its signal-to-noise predictions validated against empirical data. In high-stellar-flux regimes, systematic noise imposes an ultimate contrast limit when using molecular mapping alone. Our methodology, demonstrated with MIRI/MRS data, could greatly benefit other instruments, aiding in the planning of observational programs. For future instruments like ELT/ANDES and ELT/PCS, it could also inform and guide their development.

Context. The young (23 Myr) nearby (19.4 pc) star β Pictoris hosts an edge-on debris disk with two gas giant exoplanets in orbit around it. Many transient absorption features have been detected in the rotationally broadened stellar lines, which are thought to be the coma of infalling exocomets crossing the line of sight towards Earth. Aims. In the Solar System, the molecule cynaogen (CN) and its associated ionic species are one of the most detectable molecules in the coma and tails of comets. We perform a search for cyanogen in the spectra of β Pic to detect or put an upper limit on this molecule’s presence in a young, highly active planetary system. Methods. We divide twenty year’s worth of High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectra into those with strong exocomet absorption features, and those with only stellar lines. The high signal-to-noise stellar spectrum normalises out the stellar lines in the exocomet spectra, which are then shifted and stacked on the deepest exocomet absorption features to produce a high signal-to-noise exocomet spectrum, and search for the CN band head using a model temperature dependent cross-correlation template. Results. We do not detect CN in our data, and place a temperature and broadening dependent 5σ upper limit between 1012 and 1013 cm−2, to be compared to the typical 109−1010 cm−2 expected from scaling of the values in the Solar System comets.

Context. Over the past decade, large surveys with state-of-the-art planet-finder instruments such as Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch on board Very Large Telescope (SPHERE@VLT), coupled with coronagraphic devices and extreme adaptive optics (AO) systems, have unveiled around 20 planetary mass companions at a semi-major axis greater than 10 astronomical units (au). Since direct imaging is the only detection technique with the ability to probe this outer region of planetary systems, the SPHERE infrared survey for exoplanets (SHINE) was designed and conducted from 2015 to 2021 to study the demographics of such young gas giant planets around 400 young nearby solar-type stars. The analysis of the first part of the survey focused on 150 stars (SHINE F150) was already published in a series of papers in 2021. An additional filler campaign called snapSHINE was conducted to acquire second epoch data, using shallow observations. Aims. In this paper, we present the observing strategy, data quality, and point source analysis of the full SHINE statistical sample as well as snapSHINE. Methods. Both surveys used the SPHERE@VLT instrument with the IRDIS dual band imager in conjunction with the integral field spectrograph (IFS) and the angular differential imaging observing technique. All SHINE data (650 datasets), corresponding to 400 stars, including the targets of the F150 survey, are processed in a uniform manner, with an advanced post-processing algorithm called PACO ASDI. An emphasis is put on the classification and identification of the most promising candidate companions. Results. Compared to the previous early analysis SHINE F150, the use of advanced post-processing techniques significantly improved the contrast detection limits by one or two magnitudes (x3-x6), which will allow us to put even tighter constraints on the radial distribution of young gas giants. This increased sensitivity directly sets SHINE apart as the largest and deepest direct imaging survey ever conducted. We detected and classified more than 3500 physical sources. One additional substellar companion was confirmed during the second phase of the survey (HIP 74865 B) and several new promising candidate companions are awaiting follow-up epoch confirmations.

We searched for potential “birthmarks” left from the formation of filamentary molecular clouds in the Ophiuchus complex. We used high dynamic range column density and temperature maps derived from Herschel, Planck, and 2MASS/NICEST extinction data. We found two distinct types of filaments based on their orientation relative to nearby massive stars: radial (R-type) and tangential (T-type). R-type filaments exhibit decreasing mass profiles away from massive stars, while T-type filaments show flat but structured profiles. We propose a scenario where the two filament types originate from the dynamic interplay of compression and stretching forces exerted by a fast outflow emanating from the OB association. The two formation mechanisms leave distinct observable birthmarks (namely, filament orientation, mass distribution, and star formation location) on each filament type. Our results illustrate a complex phase in molecular cloud evolution with two simultaneous yet contrasting processes: the formation of filaments and stars via the dispersal of residual gas from a previous massive star formation event. Our approach highlights the importance of taking into account the wider context of a star-forming complex rather than concentrating exclusively on particular subregions.