Context. The third Gaia Data Release covers 34 months of data and includes the second
Gaia catalogue of long-period variables (LPVs), with G variability amplitudes larger than 0.1 …

Aims. Our recent visible polarimetric images of the well-studied AGB star W Hya taken at pre-
maximum light (phase 0.92) with VLT/SPHERE-ZIMPOL have revealed clumpy dust clouds …

Context. The condensation of inorganic dust grains in the winds of evolved stars is poorly
understood. As of today, it is not yet known which molecular clusters form the first dust grains …

We report the first spectroscopic identification of massive Galactic asymptotic giant branch
(AGB) stars at the beginning of the thermal pulse (TP) phase. These stars are the most Li …

Context. The evolution of low-and intermediate-mass stars on the asymptotic giant branch
(AGB) is mainly controlled by the rate at which these stars lose mass in a stellar wind …

Dust grains, formed around asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, are accelerated by stellar
radiation to drive stellar winds, which supply freshly synthesized nuclides to the Galaxy …

We reanalyze the problem of Li abundances in red giants of nearly solar metallicity. After
outlining the problems affecting our knowledge of the Li content in low-mass stars (M⩽ 3 …

Carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios are reported for a sample of 46 Mira and SRa-type
variable asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Vibration–rotation first and second-overtone …

Context. The details of the mass-loss process in the late stages of low-and intermediate-
mass stellar evolution are not well understood, in particular its dependence on stellar …

Most aspects of stellar evolution proceed far too slowly to be directly observable in a single
star on human timescales. The thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (AGB) is one …