The study of satellite galaxies can provide information on the merging and aggregation processes which, according to the hierarchical clustering models, form the larger spiral galaxies we observe. With the aim of testing hierarchical models of galaxy formation, we have conducted an observational program which comprises H$alpha$ imaging for both the

We present the discovery of a new extreme high proper motion object (˜3.5 arcsec/year) which we classify as an ultracool subdwarf with [M/H] ˜ -0.5. It has a formal spectral type of sdM9 but also shows L-type features: while the VO bands are completely absent, it exhibits extremely strong TiO absorption in its optical spectrum. With a radial

Here we will present some spectroscopic methods for emission gas research in the emission line region of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs): (1) We will demonstrate the possibility to use the Boltzmann-plot method to estimate the physical conditions in the broad line regions (BLRs) (2) We will discuss the applicability of so called ``Gaussian method''

Simulations for PASS (Permanent All Sky Survey) are shown, which include the generation of artificial CCD images and photometric extraction of the stellar sources. First results indicate that PASS can obtain photometry with sufficient precision to pursue its principal goal, the detection of giant planet transits for all stars up to 11th mag.

We explore the possibility that the old and intermediate-age, populations within the Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy exhibit distinct kinematic and chemical signatures. Preliminary results from medium-resolution data indeed indicate that such differences do exist. We report on the magnitude of these differences and their uncertainties. This research

The Sloan Digitized Sky Survey (SDSS) and the proposed Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Evolution (SEGUE) offer a unprecedented stellar database with which to explore the properties of the thin disk, thick disk, and halo of the Galaxy. To make full use of the information contained in the available spectra and photometry, we require