We present an analysis of simultaneous observations of a sunspot in two different spectral ranges (630 nm and 1565 nm). The dataset was acquired with the POlarimetric LIttrow Spectrograph (POLIS) and the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter (TIP) at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) of Observatorio del Teide. Inversions of both sets of lines are

The GRAAL experimental set-up consists of a polarized and tagged photon beam that covers an energy range from a minimum of 600 MeV up to a maximum of 1500 MeV, of a liquid Hydrogen or Deuterium target and of the 4π Lagrange detector optimized for photon detection. It allows the study of pseudo-scalar and vector meson photoproduction on the nucleon

The characteristics of ionized and H I gas in the peculiar star/cluster complex in NGC 6946, obtained with the 6-m telescope (BTA) Special Astrophysical Observatory Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), the Gemini North telescope, and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope, are presented. The complex is unusual as hosting a super star cluster, the

H-alpha emission both traces diffuse ionised nebulae and is commonly prominent in the spectra of pre- and post-main-sequence stars and interacting binaries. Since these are mostly relatively short-lived phases of evolution, they represent a minority of objects in a mature galaxy like our own at any one time. In the case of interacting binaries

We have obtained intermediate resolution optical spectra of the black-hole candidate Nova Sco 1994 in June 1996, when the source was in an X-ray/optical active state (R~15.05). We measure the radial velocity curve of the secondary star and obtain a semi-amplitude of 279+/-10 km s-1 a value which is 30 per cent larger than the value obtained when

GRO J0422+32 (= V518 Per) is a black-hole X-ray nova which went into outburst on August 5, 1992. Since then, we have been monitoring the decay light curve of the optical counterpart using the FLWO 1.2-m telescope. Following the steep optical decay of the primary outburst in April 1993, two mini-outbursts were observed with amplitudes of ~ 4 mag and