We measured the bar pattern speed of a sample of 6 SB0 galaxies using the Tremaine-Weinberg method. We derived the ratio, {cal R}, of the corotation radius to the length of the bar semi-major axis. For all the galaxies, {cal R} is consistent with being in the range from 1.0 and 1.4, i.e. that they host fast bars. This represents the largest sample

CanariCam is the Day One mid-infrared imager for the Spanish 10 m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). With its multimode options that allow spectroscopy, polarimetry, and coronography, it will be the most advanced and versatile mid-infrared instrument available to astronomers. As such, CanariCam will offer the Spanish scientific community a range of

We present new (UBVRI) multicolor linear polarimetric data for 22 of the brightest stars in the area of the open clusters Hogg 22 and NGC 6204 with the aim of studying the properties of the ISM (interstellar medium) toward these clusters and between them. The new data were incorporated to our data set of previously taken observations (Waldhausen et

We outline two complementary applications of the tunable filter system in OSIRIS for research on external galaxies: diagnostics of the diffuse ionized gas in face-on and in edge-on objects, giving illustrations for nearby galaxies, and discussing projected observations at intermediate and high redshift.

In this contribution, we review the overall features of EMIR, the NIR multiobject spectrograph of the GTC. EMIR is at present in the middle of its PD phase and will be one of the first common user instruments for the GTC, the 10 meter telescope under construction by GRANTECAN at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Canary Islands, Spain). EMIR

I present an overview of the types of science programs that may be feasible with EMIR. This is biased toward high-z studies and is not exhaustive. I then describe the science preparation activities of the EMIR science team.