Context. The ever-growing number of large spectroscopic survey programs has increased the importance of fast and reliable methods with which to determine precise stellar parameters. Some of these methods are highly dependent on correct spectroscopic calibrations. Aims: The goal of this work is to obtain a new spectroscopic calibration for a fast

NGC 5506 is a peculiar Seyfert (Sy) galaxy: it has a Sy2-like optical spectrum, but broad permitted infrared lines and a high X-ray luminosity as compared with Sy2's. By means of optical long slit spectroscopical observations, we obtained the velocity field, density and reddening of the narrow line region (NLR), as well as a detailed analysis of

Nine months' seeing statistics at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (ORM) are presented. Measurements were taken with a differential image motion monitor on top of a 5-m high tower. From the whole campaign the mean seeing is 0.76", the median value is 0.64" and 7% of the time the seeing is better than 0.3". The best seeing measured is 0

In this short paper, we study the photometric precision of stellar light curves obtained by the CoRoT satellite in its planet-finding channel, with a particular emphasis on the time scales characteristic of planetary transits. Together with other articles in the same issue of this journal, it forms an attempt to provide the building blocks for a

The Mg ii h & k lines are powerful diagnostics for studying the solar chromosphere. They have become particularly popular with the launch of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) satellite, and a number of studies that include these lines have lead to great progress in understanding chromospheric heating, in many cases thanks to the

Most Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite (HED) meteorites (analogues to V-type asteroids) are thought to originate from asteroid (4) Vesta. However some HEDs show distinct oxygen isotope ratios and therefore are thought to originate from other asteroids. In this study we try to identify asteroids that may represent parent bodies of those mismatching HEDs