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

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

A very high resolution (R = λ/Δλ = 200, 000), high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ~= 340) blue-green spectrum of the very metal-poor ([Fe/H] ~= -2.6) red giant star HD 122563 has been obtained by us at McDonald Observatory. We measure the asymmetries and core wavelengths of a set of unblended Fe I lines covering a wide range of line strength. Line

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Strong gravitational lenses are now being routinely discovered in wide-field surveys at (sub-)millimeter wavelengths. We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) high-spatial resolution imaging and Gemini-South and Multiple Mirror Telescope optical spectroscopy of strong lens candidates discovered in the two widest extragalactic surveys conducted by the

The image blurring by the Earth's atmosphere generally poses a substantial limitation to ground-based observations. While opportunities in space are scarce, lucky imaging can correct over a much larger patch of sky and with much fainter reference stars. We propose the first of a new kind of versatile instruments, "GravityCam", composed of ~100