We present a discussion of efforts to obtain external validation of the estimated atmospheric parameters (Teff, log g, [Fe/H]) obtained from medium-resolution (R = 2000) SDSS spectroscopy and ugriz photometry, which are being employed for both the completed SDSS-I and the ongoing SEGUE survey. The SDSS/SEGUE spectroscopic pipeline makes use of a

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

We present first comparisons between high resolution observations of the quiet photosphere, obtained with the Interferometric BIdimensional Spectrometer (IBIS) in the non-magnetic Fe I 7090.4 Å spectral line, and the synthetic spectrum calculated for a 3D snapshot of a radiation-hydrodynamical simulation of the solar atmosphere. Together with

We investigate signatures of siphon flows in a region around a solar magnetic pore, observed in the photosphere at μ = 0.6, during its decay phase. We analyze high-resolution Stokes spectra acquired by Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope along the Fe I pair at 630.2 nm. We determine the vector magnetic field and the line-of-sight velocity by an

Sunrise is a solar telescope with an aperture of 1 m, and is dedicated for spectropolarimetric measurements in the visible and the near UV. The total wavelength range is 200 to 1000 nm for narrowband imaging and diagnostic spectroscopy. Sunrise is planned as a stratospheric long-duration balloon mission with a first flight in 2006

We have obtained a spectrum of the Na D lines of the Seyfert galaxy Mrk 595 with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of about 30. The importance of this sightline is that this galaxy lies in a direction close to the highest column densities of the Cohen high-velocity (HV) stream, and hence represents the best opportunity of detecting this stream in