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The Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument is a high-resolution imaging spectrometer operating at extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths. In this paper, we present the concept, design, and pre-launch performance of…

The reduction of integral-field spectrograph (IFS) data is demanding work. Many repetitive operations are required in order to convert raw data into, typically a large number of, spectra. This effort can be markedly simplified through the…

Most optical spectropolarimeters built to date operate as long-slit or point-source instruments; they are inefficient for observations of extended objects such as galaxies and nebulae. 2D spectropolarimetry technique development is a major…

The Subaru Deep Field (SDF) project is a program of Subaru Observatory to carry out a deep galaxy survey over a blank field as large as 34'x27'. The program consists of very deep multi-band optical imaging, near infrared imaging for smaller…

There are several high-performance adaptive optics systems that deliver diffraction-limited imaging on ground-based telescopes, which renewed the interest of single-mode fiber (SMF) spectroscopy for exoplanet characterization. However, the…

Results of speckle observations at the 4.1-m SOAR telescope in 2012 (158 measures of 121 systems, 27 non-resolutions) are reported. The aim is to follow fast orbital motion of recently discovered or neglected close binaries and sub-systems.…

Vibrations are a key source of image degradation in ground-based instrumentation, especially for high-contrast imaging instruments. Vibrations reduce the quality of the correction provided by the adaptive optics system, blurring the science…

Small-pitch populated focal planes are essential enabling technologies for the next generation of highly multiplexed astronomical instruments. As modern astrophysics relies on massive spectroscopic surveys to study dark energy, dark matter,…

We present details of a prototype fiber feed for use on the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) that uses a dedicated fiber-fed medium/high resolution (R > 10000) visible-band spectrograph to give integral field spectroscopy (IFS) of an…

SPIRou is a near-infrared spectropolarimeter and high precision radial velocity instrument, to be implemented at CFHT in end 2017. It focuses on the search for Earth-like planets around M dwarfs and on the study of stellar and planetary…

The Observatory Science Operations (OSO) subsystem of the SKAO consists of a range of complex tools which will be used to propose, design, schedule and execute observations. Bridging the gap between the science and telescope domains is the…

The CHIRON spectrometer is a new high-resolution, fiber-fed instrument on the 1.5 meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-America Observatory (CTIO). To optimize use of the instrument and limited human resources, we have designed an…

In multi-object stochastic systems, the issue of sensor management is a theoretically and computationally challenging problem. In this paper, we present a novel random finite set (RFS) approach to the multi-target sensor management problem…

VIMOS (VIsible Multi-Object Spectrograph) is a multi-object imaging spectrograph installed at the VLT (Very large Telescope) at the ESO (European Southern Observatory) Paranal Observatory, especially suited for survey work. VIMOS is…

The SIRTF InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) is faced with many of the same calibration challenges that were experienced in the ISO SWS calibration program, owing to similar wavelength coverage and overlapping spectral resolutions of the two…

Ground-based telescopes equipped with adaptive-optics (AO) systems and specialized science cameras are now capable of directly detecting extrasolar planets. We present the expected scientific capabilities of CHARIS, the Coronagraphic High…

A primary goal of direct imaging techniques is to spectrally characterize the atmospheres of planets around other stars at extremely high contrast levels. To achieve this goal, coronagraphic instruments have favored integral field…

One of the possible approaches to detecting optical counterparts of GRBs requires monitoring large parts of the sky. This idea has gained some instrumental support in recent years, such as with the "Pi of the Sky" project. The broad sky…

FIRST is a post Extreme Adaptive-Optics (ExAO) spectro-interferometer operating in the Visible (600-800 nm, R~400). Its exquisite angular resolution (a sensitivity analysis of on-sky data shows that bright companions can be detected down to…

FRAM - F/(Ph)otometric Robotic Atmospheric Monitor is the latest addition to the atmospheric monitoring instruments of the Pierre Auger Observatory. An optical telescope equipped with CCD camera and photometer, it automatically observes a…