Comet Hale-Bopp defines a milestone event for cometary science: it is the first "really big" comet observed with modern equipment on the ground and from space and due to that; it is considered the new reference object in cometary sciences. At the beginning of a new era in spacecraft exploration of comets and five years after Hale-Bopp's perihelion

We present optical broad- and narrow-band imaging of a sample of a dozen barred galaxies. These images are analysed in conjunction with our previously published near-infrared imaging of their central regions and with literature values for, e.g. bar strengths and the total star formation activity of the galaxies. We present B, I and Hα images, and

Using GOLF/SOHO data a detailed analysis of the solar background spectrum has been performed at high and low phases of solar activity cycle. The analysis includes not only the non-periodic components of the background power spectrum but also the periodic ones. Apart from the solar activity, other causes produce similar effects in the data

Two data series of disk integrated solar irradiance, taken by the Variability of the solar IRradiance and Gravity Oscillations (VIRGO) experiment on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO) mission, corresponding to epochs of minimum and maximum solar activity have been analysed in order to study the background signal of the associated

We describe new methods of analysis that have been developed in order to make optimal use of the stellar spectral data obtained during the course of follow-up medium-resolution observations of color-selected stars from the ``Century Survey.'' The initial selection of stars in the stellar component of the Century Survey is based on broadband V and R

We describe the progress of a large optical and near-infrared imaging study of a complete sample of 57 spiral galaxies. We have obtained B, I, K' and Hα imaging to map stellar populations and massive star formation (SF) across the arm and interarm regions, in order to study the distribution of mass and SF in these different and distinct