Narrow-band H-alpha images and long-slit spectroscopy of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 985 are presented. Large-scale extended ionized zones are seen to cover a significant fraction of the ring of this object. These ionized zones are responsible for a considerable fraction (greater than 35 percent) of the far-infrared emission of NGC 985. These ionized

The first results of HST NICMOS observations of BL Lacertae objects are presented. Selected target, observed through the F160W filter, are from the HST "snapshot" survey of BL Lacs (Urry, Scarpa et al. 1999), span redshifts up to z=0.6. Observations provide reliable color information for the host galaxy, which in all cases is fully resolved. The

We have obtained HST WFPC2 and NICMOS observations in the nuclear region of the closest powerful active galaxy known, NGC 5128 (Centaurus A). Narrow band imaging in the Paalpha line shows an elongated structure around the nucleus which we interpret as a disk of ionized gas, with a 15 pc radius. The disk does not appear to be perpendicular to the

The Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite (HED) suite is a family of differentiated meteorites that provide a unique opportunity to study the differentiation of small bodies. The likely parent-body of this meteorite group, (4) Vesta is presently under study by the Dawn mission, scrutinizing its surface in the visible and NIR infrared range. Here, we discuss

Nitrogen lines of the N I lambda1134 and lambda1200 multiplets in the damped Lyalpha (DLA) galaxies at z_abs = 2.309, 2.827, and 3.025 toward the QSOs 0100+1300, 1425+6039, and 0347-3819, respectively, have been detected by means of high-resolution spectra (R ~ 2 x 10^4) obtained with 4 m class telescopes at ESO (La Silla, Chile) and the

We investigated the reliability of our silicon atomic model and the influence of non-local thermodynamical equilibrium (NLTE) on the formation of neutral silicon (Si i) lines in the near-infrared (near-IR) H-band. We derived the differential Si abundances for 13 sample stars with high-resolution H-band spectra from the Apache Point Observatory