A new generation of large, ground-based telescopes are just coming into operation. They will take astronomical research well into the next century. These extremely powerful telescopes demand specially designed instruments and observing techniques. The VII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics gathered together leading experts from around the world to review this technology. Based on the meeting, this timely volume presents eight specially written chapters covering all aspects of telescope instrumentation. This book provides an essential reference for all astronomers who will be the users of these large telescopes. It reviews both the challenges involved in designing successful instrumentation and the questions in astronomy they must address. We are taken from the fundamentals of astronomical imaging, low- and high-resolution spectroscopy, and polarimetry up to the state-of-the-art technology in adaptive optics and laser guide stars, interferometry, image pattern recognition, and optical, near and mid infrared arrays. This timely volume provides an excellent introduction for graduate students and an invaluable reference for researchers using the latest generation of large astronomical telescopes.

Interest world-wide in the provision of new observational astro nomical facilities in the form of ground-based optical telescopes of large aperture has never been higher than exists at present. The benefits to be gained from increased aperture size, however, are only utilised effectively if efficient instrumentation is also available. There have been significant improvements recently in this area, part icularly in detector technology and data handling as well as in optical design, so that systems which are currently being developed have the capability of being vastly more powerful in terms of the efficient use of photons than those which existed only 5 years ago. The rationale for the decision by Commission 9 of the International Astronomical Union to hold IAU Colloquium 67, therefore, was to obtain reports on these developments with the emphasis placed upon overall efficiency of the complete observational system - from telescope aperture right through to detector output. A fitting venue for the meeting was the site of the 6 metre BTA (Bolshoi Azimuth Telescope) at Zelenchukskaya in the Caucasus mount ains, USSR. The BTA is operated by the Special Astrophysical Observatory located at Nizhnij Arkhyz, a few kilometres from the telescope itself.

Lists citations with abstracts for aerospace related reports obtained from world wide sources and announces documents that have recently been entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database.

Proceedings volume for researchers and graduate students of astronomy, covering the most exciting science and key ELT projects.

This volume is the proceedings of IAU Symposium No. 118 on "Instrumentation. and Research Programmes for Small Telescopes", where small telescopes were defined as those ground-based instruments with apertures less than 1.5m. The scientific goal of the symposium was to emphasise research programmes which were more suited to smaller tele scopes, on which frequent regular observations can be made. A wide variety of topics on instrumentation, photometry, spectroscopy and polarimetry of objects in the solar system to extragalactic systems were discussed. Each of the four scientific days of the symposium comprised a number of invited review papers, contributed oral papers and discussion sessions devoted purely to the large number (~4) of poster papers. An introductory paper on the research potential of small telescopes sets the scene for the symposium. The proceedings have then been divided into three sections. Section I: Telescopes and instrumentation; Section II: Photometric research programmes; Section III: Spectroscopic research programmes. The diversity of topics within each of these sections indicated the extent to which small telescopes have (and can) contribute greatly to astronomical research. Dr J.A. Graham's summary of the symposium, which illustrates the opportunities available with small telescopes, concludes these proceedings. As in all symposia, the importance of the discussion following each paper was realised. The discussion was recorded on tape (and wherever possible on questions and answer sheets), transcribed and then edited.

In order to analyze the light of cosmic objects, particularly at extremely great distances, spectroscopy is the workhorse of astronomy. In the era of very large telescopes, long-term investigations are mainly performed with small professional instruments. Today they can be done using self-designed spectrographs and highly efficient CCD cameras, without the need for large financial investments. This book explains the basic principles of spectroscopy, including the fundamental optical constraints and all mathematical aspects needed to understand the working principles in detail. It covers the complete theoretical and practical design of standard and Echelle spectrographs. Readers are guided through all necessary calculations, enabling them to engage in spectrograph design. The book also examines data acquisition with CCD cameras and fiber optics, as well as the constraints of specific data reduction and possible sources of error. In closing it briefly highlights some main aspects of the research on massive stars and spectropolarimetry as an extension of spectroscopy. The book offers a comprehensive introduction to spectroscopy for students of physics and astronomy, as well as a valuable resource for amateur astronomers interested in learning the principles of spectroscopy and spectrograph design.