In this second paper of the series we study, with new Keck/DEIMOS spectra, the stellar populations of seven spectroscopically confirmed ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in the Coma cluster. We find intermediate to old ages (∼ 7 Gyr), low metallicities ([Z/H]∼ -0.7 dex) and mostly super-solar abundance patterns ([Mg/Fe] ∼ 0.13 dex). These properties are similar to those of low-luminosity (dwarf) galaxies inhabiting the same area in the cluster and are mostly consistent with being the continuity of the stellar mass scaling relations of more massive galaxies. These UDGs' star formation histories imply a relatively recent infall into the Coma cluster, consistent with the theoretical predictions for a dwarf-like origin. However, considering the scatter in the resulting properties and including other UDGs in Coma, together with the results from the velocity phase-space study of the Paper I in this series, a mixed-bag of origins is needed to explain the nature of all UDGs. Our results thus reinforce a scenario in which many UDGs are field dwarfs that become quenched through their later infall onto cluster environments, whereas some UDGs could be be genuine primordial galaxies that failed to develop due to an early quenching phase. The unknown proportion of dwarf-like to primordial-like UDGs leaves the enigma of the nature of UDGs still open.

We use Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy to confirm the cluster membership of 16 ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in the Coma cluster, bringing the total number of spectroscopically confirmed UDGs to 24. We also identify a new cluster background UDG. In this pilot study of Coma UDGs in velocity phase-space, we find evidence that most present-day Coma UDGs have a recent infall epoch while a few may be ancient infalls. These recent infall UDGs have higher absolute relative line-of-sight velocities, bluer optical colors, and are smaller in size, unlike the ancient infalls. The kinematics of the spectroscopically confirmed Coma UDG sample is similar to that of the cluster late-type galaxy population. Our velocity phase-space analysis suggests that present-day cluster UDGs have a predominantly accretion origin from the field, acquire velocities corresponding to the mass of the cluster at accretion as they are accelerated towards the cluster center, and become redder and bigger as they experience the various physical processes at work within the cluster.

The number of supernovae known to be connected with long-duration gamma-ray bursts is increasing and the link between these events is no longer exclusively found at low redshift (z 0.3) but is well established also at larger distances. We present a new case of such a liaison at z = 0.33 between GRB 171010A and SN 2017htp. It is the second closest GRB with an associated supernova of only three events detected by Fermi-LAT. The supernova is one of the few higher redshift cases where spectroscopic observations were possible and shows spectral similarities with the well-studied SN 1998bw, having produced a similar Ni mass (M Ni = 0.33 ± 0.02 M ) with slightly lower ejected mass (M ej = 4.1 ± 0.7 M ) and kinetic energy (E K = 8.1 ± 2.5 × 10 51 erg). The host-galaxy is bigger in size than typical GRB host galaxies, but the analysis of the region hosting the GRB revealed spectral properties typically observed in GRB hosts and showed that the progenitor of this event was located in a very bright HII region of its face-on host galaxy, at a projected distance of ∼ 10 kpc from its galactic centre. The star-formation rate (SFR GRB ∼ 0.2 M yr −1 ) and metallicity (12 + log(O/H) ∼ 8.15 ± 0.10) of the GRB star-forming region are consistent with those of the host galaxies of previously studied GRB-SN systems.