The Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory is a new ground based facility under construction at the Sierra de Javalambre (Teruel, Spain). The observatory is defined for carrying out large all-sky surveys in robotic mode. It will consist of two telescopes: T250, a large etendue telescope of 2.5m aperture and 3 deg diameter field of view, and T80, a 0

The Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver (SPIRE), is the Herschel Space Observatory`s submillimetre camera and spectrometer. It contains a three-band imaging photometer operating at 250, 350 and 500 μm, and an imaging Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS) which covers simultaneously its whole operating range of 194-671 μm (447-1550 GHz). The

We use Herschel Space Observatory data to place observational constraints on the peak and Rayleigh-Jeans slope of dust emission observed at 70-500 μm in the nearby spiral galaxy M81. We find that the ratios of wave bands between 160 and 500 μm are primarily dependent on radius but that the ratio of 70 to 160 μm emission shows no clear dependence on

Local luminosity functions are fundamental benchmarks for high-redshift galaxy formation and evolution studies as well as for models describing these processes. Determining the local luminosity function in the submillimeter range can help to better constrain in particular the bolometric luminosity density in the local Universe, and Herschel offers

A study is presented for the realization of the heat stop for the 4-m European Solar Telescope EST, whose feasibility study will be completed in 2011. EST is an on-axis Gregorian telescope, equipped with a four-meter diameter primary mirror and primary focal length of about six meters. The heat stop, positioned at the primary focus, must be able to

The GTC (Gran Telescopio Canarias) is an optical and IR telescope, with a 10,4 meter segmented primary, installed at the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos (ORM) on the island of La Palma. GTC commissioning started in July 2007 when First Light was achieved. GTC regular scientific operations started at the beginning of 2009 with its first