This communication reviews some of the most challenging topics in high-resolution ground-based Solar Physics. The most powerful European facilities are described, together with their capabilities and skills gained in Europe using them. The reasons for a large-aperture solar telescope are outlined, based on present scientific needs, which have led

The second Hispano-Argentinian Meridian Catalogue (HAMC2) contains more than 12.500.000 positions and magnitudes of stars brighter than V=16.5 and with declinations between -30° and 0°. It has been computed from the CCD observations of the San Fernando Automatic Meridian Circle (CMASF) installed at present at the Carlos U. Cesco Observatory (CUC)

Aims: We seek to detect and quantify the effects of surface convection (granulation) on the line spectra of K-dwarfs as a first step towards a rigorous testing of hydrodynamic models for their atmospheres. Methods: Very high-resolution (R≃160 000-210 000), high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N⪆300) spectra of nine bright K-dwarfs were obtained with the

First light of the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) is reviewed by Francisco Sánchez Martínez, encourager of such an endeavour which is today a reality.

We present photometry for globular and open cluster stars observed with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). In order to exploit the over 100 million stellar objects with r

Studying the earliest stages in the birth of stars is crucial for understanding how they form. Brown dwarfs with masses between that of stars and planets are not massive enough to maintain stable hydrogen-burning fusion reactions during most of their lifetime. Their origins are subject to much debate in recent literature because their masses are