In the analysis of X-ray fluorescence spectra from planetary surfaces, it is traditionally assumed that the observed surface is a plane-parallel, smooth, and homogeneous medium. The spectral and spatial resolutions of the instruments that have been used to measure X-ray emission from planetary surfaces to date have been such that this has been a

According to its spectral type B2 Ib/I I (Klare & Neckel 1977; Schmidt & Carruthers 1996), HD163899 is a supergiant star. The star presents p and g-mode pulsations (Saio et al. 2006). In such a post-main sequence (post MS) star, the helium core is radiative with a very large Brunt-Väisälä frequency which produces a strong damping. The presence of

HH 262 is a group of emitting knots displaying an `hour-glass' morphology in the Hα and [SII] lines, located 3.5 arcmin to the north-east of the young stellar object L1551-IRS5, in Taurus. We present new results of the kinematics and physical conditions of HH 262 based on Integral Field Spectroscopy covering a field of ~1.5 × 3 arcmin2, which

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