Using the Nordic Optical Telescope, La Palma, Spain, optical studies of OT/GRB970508 were initiated 3 hours 5 minutes after the high energy event (This appears to be sooner than achieved elsewhere, for any optical transient). The OT was clearly detected in the earliest images. The last observation was done August 13-15, i.e. 95-97 days after the

We present new near-infrared images and spectra of the circumnuclear star formation regions in M100. Images in J, H, and K have been obtained in conditions of 0.3'' seeing using IRCAM3 on UKIRT, and show a host of objects not apparent in previous images (cf. Knapen et al. 1995, ApJ, 443, L73). We have also obtained H- and K-band spectra with CGS4

Twenty magnetic Chemically Peculiar (CP2) stars of the SrCrEu subgroup mostly brighter than the 7.5 visual magnitude have been investigated in the near infrared at 1.25, 1.6 and 2.2 mu . The stars HD 3980, HD 24712, HD 49976, HD 83368, HD 96616, HD 98088, HD 118022, HD 125248, HD 148898, HD 203006, and HD 220825 have been found to be variable in

We present lithium observations of 23 X-ray selected candidate members of alpha Per, which are part of a larger sample of stars identified through two ROSAT surveys of the cluster. Our observations on one hand allowed us to confirm membership for 18 of the candidates, thus suggesting that a high percentage of the whole X-ray selected candidates are

The GTC project is in charge of the construction of an optical/IR 10-meter class telescope at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos in Canary Islands. The GTC control system (GCS) will be responsible for the management and operation of the telescope, including its instrumentation. Its conceptual design has been completed in summer 1997. The

The Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) project office is in charge of the construction of an optical/IR 10-meter class telescope at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, in Canary Islands. The conceptual design phase has been completed in summer 1997, and the design of the control system has already started its initial phases. Recently, the