Observational contraints on the evolution and instabilities of massive stars at very low metallicities are limited. Most of the information come from HST observations of one target, I Zw 18. Recent distance estimates of I Zw 18 put it at 17 Mpc, moving detailed studies of single stars clearly beyond the range of current ground based telescopes. Since massive stars with metallcities of 1/10 of solar and below are our best proxies for massive stars in (proto-) galaxies around the time of reionization, finding them and studying their evolution and instabilities is of premium importance for our understanding of galaxy formation, feedback, and the IGM reionization. Here we present pilot study results of variable stars in two more nearby extremely low metallicity galaxies, UGC 5340 and UGCA 292, and comment on the possibilities of more detailed studies of variable massive stars with new ground-based instrumentation.

This article summarises the discussion following Session 3 (Populations of OB stars in galaxies) of IAUS 272.

We present an evolutionary study of 28 Tau, a Be star, in connection with its rapid rotation. The photometric data during the absence of its envelope in 1921 have been used to determine the effective temperature and luminosity of the star at the main sequence of the HR diagram. From an evolutionary model, we found that the mass and radius of the star are about 3.2 M⊙ and 3.2 R⊙ respectively. The equatorial rotation velocity of the star, νe found to be close to its critical velocity, νcr where νe/νcr ≃ 0.87.

We use the BCD spectrophotometric classification system to derive fundamental parameters of B stars in NGC 2439, NGC 3766 and NGC 6087. We are able to perform a complete study of each open cluster by deriving spectral classification of its members, distance modulus and age as well.

A current investigation is underway into the possible collision between a circumstellar disk and the secondary star in the δ Scorpii binary system. δ Scorpii is a prime candidate for a disk-star collision since the primary star has a circumstellar disk and the secondary star has a highly elliptical orbit with a period of approximately 10.5 years making the periastron passage very close to the primary star. The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI) was used to spatially resolve the two stars as well as the cirumstellar disk around the primary. A revised orbit with new orbital parameters has been calculated using observations obtained between 2005 and 2010. Our results indicate periastron passage will occur on 2011-07-03.

Since 2003, the amateur astronomical community has decided, in collaboration with the Paris-Meudon Observatory, to coordinate their observations to get the best spectral survey of Be stars as possible. A database for amateur and professional Be star spectra, BeSS, has been created. Spectrographs (up to R=20000) and software tools have been developed for amateurs. Among them, ArasBeam is a web-based tool designed to organize amateur Be spectral observations. A very simple color coding indicates to any observer which stars must be observed on the following night to get the best possible survey of Be stars. So far, more than 11000 amateur spectra have been collected in BeSS. About all bright Be stars (up to magnitude 8) listed in BeSS and visible from the Northern hemisphere have been observed at least one time. In addition, 6 outbursts have been detected by amateurs in the last 2 years.

Shelyak Instruments is a company founded in 2006 offering a full range of spectrographs designed for Astronomy, shipping World Wide. Current users are (1) Public and private observatories who want to setup small telescope for scientific programs or training; (2) Universities for education and demonstrations; (3) Experienced amateurs observers who work in Pro/Amateur collaborations. Lhires III Littrow high resolution spectrograph and eShel optical fibre fed echelle solution are presented with some scientific results including OB stars in which those instruments had a significant contribution.

We present the status of the BeSS database, which contains a catalogue of all known classical Be stars and a large collection of their spectra obtained at any wavelength, any epoch, and from various sources, from amateur astronomer spectra to professional high-resolution high signal-to-noise echelle spectra. Efficient data retrieval in such a heterogeneous data collection is possible with a wide range of selection criteria thanks to their storage in the fits format and via a web interface (http://basebe.obspm.fr) as well as via the Virtual Observatory. BeSS already contains over 49000 spectra and has allowed the detection of several outbursts.

Preliminary results of a four-week multi-colour photometric campaign on previously identified β Cephei stars as well as newly-discovered variable stars in two respective LMC fields are presented. Besides the two targeted β Cephei stars, at least six further presumed B variables are detected. The strongest identified periods appear to lie on the longward end of the galactic β Cep instability strip, as predicted by model calculations.

A report of a systematic search for Be star candidates in the Small Magellanic Cloud using statistical selection criteria is presented. The results are compared with those obtained with a standard photometric method to search for Be star candidates.

Massive O- and B-type stars are “cosmic engines” in the Universe and can be the dominant source of luminosity in a galaxy. The class of Be stars are rapidly rotating B-type stars that lose mass in an equatorial, circumstellar disk (Porter & Rivinius 2003) and cause Balmer and other line emission. Currently, we are unsure as to why these stars rotate so quickly but three scenarios are possible: they may have been born as rapid rotators, spun up by binary mass transfer, or spun up during the main-sequence evolution of B stars. In order to investigate these scenarios for this population of massive stars, we have been spectroscopically observing a set of 115 field Be stars with the Kitt Peak Coudè Feed telescope in both the Hα and Hγ wavelength regimes since 2004. This time baseline allows for examination of variability properties of the circumstellar disks as well as determine candidates for closer examination for binarity. We find that 90% of the observed stars show some variability with 8% showing significant variability over the 5-year baseline. Such values may be compared with the significant variability seen in some clusters such as NGC 3766 (McSwain 2008). Also, while ~20% of the sample consists of known binaries, we find that another 15–30% of the sample shows indications of binarity.

In this poster we present the results of our analyses of three early massive stars in IC 1613, whose spectra have been observed with VIMOS and analyzed with CMFGEN and FASTWIND. One of the targets resulted a possible LBV and the other two are Of stars with unexpectedly strong winds. The Of stars seem to be strongly contaminated by CNO products. Our preliminary results may represent a challenge for the theory of stellar atmospheres, but they still have to be confirmed by the analysis of more objects and a more complete coverage of the parameter space.

Mennickent et al. (2002) presented a catalogue of 1056 Be star candidates in the Small Magellanic cloud (SMC) by studying light curve variation using OGLE II data base. They classified these Be star candidates of the SMC in four categories: Type 1 stars showing outbursts (139 stars); Type 2 stars showing sudden luminosity jumps (154 stars); Type 3 stars showing periodic or near periodic variations (78 stars); Type 4 stars showing light curves similar to Galactic Be stars (658 stars). They suggested that Type 4 could be Be stars. On the other hand, they suggested that Type-3 stars may not be linked to the Be star phenomenon at all.

The Tarantula Survey is an ESO Large Programme which has obtained multi-epoch spectroscopy of over 1,000 massive stars in the 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud. The assembled consortium will exploit these data to address a range of fundamental questions in both stellar and cluster evolution.

We present preliminary results of the first near-infrared variability study of the Arches cluster, using adaptive optics data from NIRI/Gemini and NACO/VLT. The goal is to discover eclipsing binaries in this young (2.5 ± 0.5 Myr), dense, massive cluster for which we will determine accurate fundamental parameters with subsequent spectroscopy. Given that the Arches cluster contains more than 200 Wolf-Rayet and O-type stars, it provides a rare opportunity to determine parameters for some of the most massive stars in the Galaxy.

At low metallicity B-type stars rotate faster than at higher metallicity, typically in the SMC. As a consequence, a larger number of fast rotators is expected in the SMC than in the Galaxy, in particular more Be/Oe stars. With the ESO-WFI in its slitless mode, we examined the SMC open clusters and found an occurence of Be stars 3 to 5 times larger than in the Galaxy. The evolution of the angular rotational velocity seems to be the main key on the understanding of the specific behaviour and stellar evolution of such stars at different metallicities. With the results of this WFI study and using observational clues on the SMC WR stars and massive stars, as well as the theoretical indications of long gamma-ray burst progenitors, we identify the low metallicity massive Be and Oe stars as potential LGRB progenitors. Therefore the expected rates and numbers of LGRB are calculated and compared to the observed ones, leading to a good probability that low metallicity Be/Oe stars are actually LGRB progenitors.

We use a combination of VJHK and Spitzer [3.6], [5.8] and [8.0] photometry, to determine IR excesses in a sample of LMC and SMC O stars. This sample is ideal for determining excesses because: 1) the distances to the stars, and hence their luminosities, are well-determined, and; 2) the very small line of sight reddenings minimize the uncertainties introduced by extinction corrections. We find IR excesses much larger than expected from Vink et al. (2001) mass loss rates. This is in contrast to previous wind line analyses for many of the LMC stars which suggest mass loss rates much less than the Vink et al. predictions. Together, these results indicate that the winds of the LMC and SMC O stars are strongly structured (clumped).

Creation of a modern database with a wide variety of data is an important step toward a better understanding of the Be phenomenon. In an effort to do that, I refined the existing catalog of Galactic Be stars and collected available observational data for 340 brightest objects and present some results of these data analysis. New candidates for Be binaries, which seem to represent a large fraction of Be stars, are suggested. Importance of the circumstellar optical continuum for modeling of the Be star envelopes is illustrated.

The e-MERLIN Cyg OB2 Radio Survey (COBRaS) is designed to exploit e-MERLIN's enhanced capabilities to conduct uniquely probing, targeted deep-field mapping of the massive Cyg OB2 association in our Galaxy. The project aims to deliver (between 2010 to 2013) the most detailed radio census for the most massive OB association in the northern hemisphere, offering direct comparison to not only massive clusters in general, but also young globular clusters and super star clusters. With the COBRaS Legacy project we will assemble a uniform dataset of lasting value that is critical for advancing our understanding of current astrophysical problems in the inter-related core themes of (i) mass loss and evolution of massive stars, (ii) the formation, dynamics and content of massive OB associations, and (iii) the frequency of massive binaries and the incidence of non-thermal radiation.

Photometric searches for Be stars in environments with different metallicities have led to the discovery of many Be-like star variables. The knowledge of these types of variables is still fragmentary. This work presents the preliminary results of analyzing FLAMES+GIRAFFE spectra of a sample of these Be-like stars that we have found in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC).