We present optical and near-IR spectroscopic observations of the luminous blue variable SN 2009ip during its remarkable photometric evolution of 2012. The spectra sample three key points in the SN 2009ip lightcurve, corresponding to its initial brigh
tening in August (2012-A) and its dramatic rebrightening in early October (2012-B). Based on line fluxes and velocities measured in our spectra, we find a surprisingly low I(H-alpha)/I(H-beta) ~ 1.3-1.4 in the 2012-B spectra. Such a ratio implies either a rare Case B recombination scenario where H-alpha, but not H-beta, is optically thick, or an extremely high density for the circumstellar material of n_e > 10^13 cm^(-3) The H-alpha line intensity yields a minimum radiating surface area of >~20,000 AU^2 in H-alpha at the peak of SN 2009ips photometric evolution. Combined with the nature of this objects spectral evolution in 2012, a high circumstellar density and large radiating surface area imply the presence of a thin disk geometry around the central star (and, consequently, a possible binary companion), suggesting that the observed 2012-B rebrightening of SN 2009ip can be attributed to the illumination of the disks inner rim by fast-moving ejecta produced by the underlying events of 2012-A.
We present ground-based observations of the transiting Neptune-mass planet Gl 436b obtained with the 3.5-meter telescope at Apache Point Observatory and other supporting telescopes. Included in this is an observed transit in early 2005, over two year
s before the earliest reported transit detection. We have compiled all available transit data to date and perform a uniform modeling using the JKTEBOP code. We do not detect any transit timing variations of amplitude greater than ~1 minute over the ~3.3 year baseline. We do however find possible evidence for a self-consistent trend of increasing orbital inclination, transit width, and transit depth, which supports the supposition that Gl 436b is being perturbed by another planet of < 12 Earth Masses in a non-resonant orbit.
