Large Telescope (large + telescope)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Kinds of Large Telescope

  • very large telescope


  • Selected Abstracts


    Gas dynamics of the central few parsec region of NGC 1068 fuelled by the evolving nuclear star cluster

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2010
    M. Schartmann
    ABSTRACT Recently, high-resolution observations with the help of the near-infrared adaptive optics integral field spectrograph Spectrograph for INtegral Field Observations in the Near Infrared (SINFONI) at the Very Large Telescope proved the existence of massive and young nuclear star clusters in the centres of a sample of Seyfert galaxies. With the help of three-dimensional high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations with the Pluto code, we follow the evolution of such clusters, especially focusing on stellar mass loss feeding gas into the ambient interstellar medium and driving turbulence. This leads to a vertically wide distributed clumpy or filamentary inflow of gas on large scales (tens of parsec), whereas a turbulent and very dense disc builds up on the parsec scale. In order to capture the relevant physics in the inner region, we treat this disc separately by viscously evolving the radial surface density distribution. This enables us to link the tens of parsec-scale region (accessible via SINFONI observations) to the (sub-)parsec-scale region (observable with the mid-infrared interferometer instrument and via water maser emission). Thereby, this procedure provides us with an ideal testbed for data comparison. In this work, we concentrate on the effects of a parametrized turbulent viscosity to generate angular momentum and mass transfer in the disc and additionally take star formation into account. Most of the input parameters are constrained by available observations of the nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068, and we discuss parameter studies for the free parameters. At the current age of its nuclear starburst of 250 Myr, our simulations yield disc sizes of the order of 0.8,0.9 pc, gas masses of 106 M, and mass transfer rates of 0.025 M, yr,1 through the inner rim of the disc. This shows that our large-scale torus model is able to approximately account for the disc size as inferred from interferometric observations in the mid-infrared and compares well to the extent and mass of a rotating disc structure as inferred from water maser observations. Several other observational constraints are discussed as well. [source]


    The determination of the rotation period and magnetic field geometry of the strongly magnetic roAp star HD 154708,

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2009
    S. Hubrig
    ABSTRACT We obtained 13 spectropolarimetric observations of the strongly magnetic rapidly oscillating Ap star HD 154708 over 3 months with the multimode instrument FORS 1, installed at the 8-m Kueyen telescope of the Very Large Telescope. These observations have been used for the determination of the rotation period of P= 5.3666 ± 0.0007 d. Using stellar fundamental parameters and the longitudinal magnetic field phase curve, we briefly discuss the magnetic field geometry. The star is observed nearly pole-on and the magnetic field geometry can be described by a centred dipole with a surface polar magnetic field strength Bd between 26.1 and 28.8 kG and an inclination of the magnetic axis to the rotation axis in the range to . [source]


    Deep spectroscopy of the FUV,optical emission lines from a sample of radio galaxies at z, 2.5: metallicity and ionization,

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008
    A. Humphrey
    ABSTRACT We present long-slit near-infrared (NIR) spectra, obtained using the Infrared Spectrometer And Array Camera (ISAAC) instrument at the Very Large Telescope, which sample the rest-frame optical emission lines from nine radio galaxies at z, 2.5. One-dimensional spectra have been extracted and, using broad-band photometry, have been cross-calibrated with spectra from the literature to produce line spectra spanning a rest wavelength of ,1200,7000 Å. The resulting line spectra have a spectral coverage that is unprecedented for radio galaxies at any redshift. We have also produced a composite of the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV),optical line fluxes of powerful, z, 2.5 radio galaxies. We have investigated the relative strengths of Ly,, H,, H,, He ii,1640 and He ii,4687, and we find that Av can vary significantly from object to object. In addition, we have identified new line ratios to calculate electron temperature: [Ne v],1575/[Ne v],3426, [Ne iv],1602/[Ne iv],2423, O iii],1663/[O iii],5008 and [O ii],2471/[O ii],3728. We calculate an average O iii temperature of 14100+1000,600 K. We have modelled the rich emission line spectra, and we conclude that they are best explained by active galactic nucleus (AGN) photoionization with the ionization parameter U varying between objects. For shock models (with or without the precursor) to provide a satisfactory explanation for the data, an additional source of ionizing photons is required , presumably the ionizing radiation field of the AGN. Single slab photoionization models are unable to reproduce the high- and the low-ionization lines simultaneously: the higher ionization lines imply higher U than do the lower ionization lines. This problem may be alleviated either by combining two or more single slab photoionization models with different U, or by using mixed-medium models such as those of Binette, Wilson & Storchi-Bergmann. In either case, U must vary from object to object. On the basis of N v/N iv] and N iv]/C iv we argue that, while photoionization is the dominant ionization mechanism in the extended emission line regions (EELR), shocks make a fractional contribution (,10 per cent) to its ionization. The N v/N iv] and N iv]/C iv ratios in the broad-line region (BLR) of some quasars suggest that shock ionization may be important in the BLR also. We find that in the EELR of z, 2 radio galaxies the N/H abundance ratio is close to its solar value. We conclude that N/H and metallicity do not vary by more than a factor of 2 in our sample. These results are consistent with the idea that the massive ellipticals which become the hosts to powerful AGN are assembled very early in the history of the universe, and then evolve relatively passively up to the present day. [source]


    Dust mass-loss rates from asymptotic giant branch stars in the Fornax and Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxies

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008
    Eric Lagadec
    ABSTRACT To study the effect of metallicity on the mass-loss rate of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, we have conducted mid-infrared photometric measurements of such stars in the Sagittarius and Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxies with the 10-,m camera VISIR at the Very Large Telescope. We derive mass-loss rates for 29 AGB stars in Sgr dSph and two in Fornax. The dust mass-loss rates are estimated from the K,[9] and K,[11] colours. Radiative transfer models are used to check the consistency of the method. Published IRAS and Spitzer data confirm that the same tight correlation between K,[12] colour and dust mass-loss rates is observed for AGB stars from galaxies with different metallicities, i.e., the Galaxy, the Large Magellanic Clouds and the Small Magellanic Clouds. The derived dust mass-loss rates are in the range 5 × 10,10 to 3 × 10,8 M, yr,1 for the observed AGB stars in Sgr dSph and around 5 × 10,9 M, yr,1 for those in Fornax; while values obtained with the two different methods are of the same order of magnitude. The mass-loss rates for these stars are higher than the nuclear burning rates, so they will terminate their AGB phase by the depletion of their stellar mantles before their core can grow significantly. Some observed stars have lower mass-loss rates than the minimum value predicted by theoretical models. [source]


    The polar ring galaxy AM1934,563 revisited,

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007
    Noah Brosch
    ABSTRACT We report long-slit spectroscopic observations of the dust-lane polar ring galaxy AM1934,563 obtained with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) during its performance verification phase. The observations target the spectral region of the H,, [N ii] and [S ii] emission lines, but also show deep Na i absorption lines, that we interpret as being produced by stars in the galaxy. We derive rotation curves along the major axis of the galaxy that extend out to about 8 kpc from the centre for both the gaseous and the stellar components, using the emission and absorption lines. We derive similar rotation curves along the major axis of the polar ring and point out differences between these and the ones of the main galaxy. We identify a small diffuse object visible only in H, emission and with a low velocity dispersion as a dwarf H ii galaxy and argue that it is probably metal poor. Its velocity indicates that it is a fourth member of the galaxy group in which AM1934,563 belongs. We discuss the observations in the context of the proposal that the object is the result of tidal mater transfer from a major neighbour galaxy and point out some observational discrepancies from this explanation. We argue that an alternative scenario that could better fit the observations may be the slow accretion of cold intergalactic gas, focused by a dense filament of galaxies in which this object is embedded. Given the pattern of rotation we found, with the asymptotic rotation of the gas in the ring being slower than that in the disc while both components have approximately the same extent, we point out that AM1934,563 may be a galaxy in which a dark matter halo is flattened along the galactic disc and the first object in which this predicted behaviour of polar ring galaxies in dark matter haloes is fulfilled. [source]


    A case of mistaken identity?

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007
    GRB 060912A, short GRB divide, the nature of the long
    ABSTRACT We investigate the origin of the GRB 060912A, which has observational properties that make its classification as either a long or short burst ambiguous. Short-duration gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) are thought to have typically lower energies than long-duration bursts, can be found in galaxies with populations of all ages and are likely to originate from different progenitors to the long-duration bursts. However, it has become clear that duration alone is insufficient to make a distinction between the two populations in many cases, leading to a desire to find additional discriminators of burst type. GRB 060912A had a duration of 6 s and occurred only ,10 arcsec from a bright, low-redshift (z= 0.0936) elliptical galaxy, suggesting that this may have been the host, which would favour it being a short burst. However, our deep optical imaging and spectroscopy of the location of GRB 060912A using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) shows that GRB 060912A more likely originates in a distant star-forming galaxy at z= 0.937, and is most likely a long burst. This demonstrates the risk in identifying bright, nearby galaxies as the hosts of given gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) without further supporting evidence. Further, it implies that, in the absence of secure identifications, ,host' type, or more broadly discriminators that rely on galaxy redshifts, may not be good indicators of the true nature of any given GRB. [source]


    Imaging and spectroscopy of ultrasteep spectrum radio sources,

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2007
    Carlos G. Bornancini
    ABSTRACT We present a sample of 40 ultrasteep spectrum (USS; ,,, 1.3, S,,,,) radio sources selected from the Westerbork in the Southern Hemisphere (WISH) catalogue. The USS sources have been imaged in K band at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) and with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Cerro Paranal. We also present VLT, Keck and William Herschel Telescope (WHT) optical spectroscopy of 14 targets selection from four different USS samples. For 12 sources, we have been able to determine the redshifts, including four new radio galaxies at z > 3. We find that most of our USS sources have predominantly small (<6 arcsec) radio sizes and faint magnitudes (K, 18). The mean K -band counterpart magnitude is . The expected redshift distribution estimated using the Hubble K,z diagram has a mean of , which is higher than the predicted redshift obtained for the Sydney University Molonglo Sky Survey,NRAO VLA Sky Survey (SUMSS,NVSS) sample and the expected redshift obtained in the 6C** survey. The compact USS sample analysed here may contain a higher fraction of galaxies which are high redshift and/or are heavily obscured by dust. Using the 74, 352 and 1400 MHz flux densities of a subsample, we construct a radio colour,colour diagram. We find that all but one of our USS sources have a strong tendency to flatten below 352 MHz. We also find that the highest redshift source from this paper (at z= 3.84) does not show evidence for spectral flattening down to 151 MHz. This suggests that very low frequency selected USS samples will likely be more efficient to find high redshift galaxies. [source]


    Discovery of magnetic fields in the , Cephei star ,1 CMa and in several slowly pulsating B stars,

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY: LETTERS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2006
    S. Hubrig
    ABSTRACT We present the results of a magnetic survey of a sample of eight , Cephei stars and 26 slowly pulsating B (SPBs) stars with the FOcal Reducer low dispersion Spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope. A weak mean longitudinal magnetic field of the order of a few hundred Gauss is detected in the , Cephei star ,1 CMa and in 13 SPB stars. The star ,1 CMa becomes the third magnetic star among the , Cephei stars. Before our study, the star , Cas was the only known magnetic SPB star. All magnetic SPB stars for which we gathered several magnetic field measurements show a field that varies in time. We do not find a relation between the evolution of the magnetic field with stellar age in our small sample. Our observations imply that , Cephei and SPB stars can no longer be considered as classes of non-magnetic pulsators, but the effect of the fields on the oscillation properties remains to be studied. [source]


    Protoclusters associated with distant radio galaxies

    ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 2-3 2006
    B. P. Venemans
    Abstract The results of a large program conducted with the Very Large Telescope and the Keck telescope to search for forming clusters of galaxies near powerful radio galaxies at 2 < z < 5.2 are presented. Deep narrow- and broad-band images of eight radio galaxies and their surroundings were obtained. In the images a total of 335 candidate Ly, emitting galaxies at the redshift of the radio galaxies were selected. Subsequently, follow-up spectroscopy was performed to obtain redshifts for the candidate Ly, emitters. In at least six of eight fields (75%) an overdensity of Ly, emitters is found near the radio galaxy. Taken together with a significant clustering in redshift space of the emitters, we argue that we have discovered six forming clusters of galaxies (protoclusters). Based on the estimated masses and the volume density, we conclude that the observed structures are the likely progenitors of present-day massive (,1015 M,) clusters of galaxies. Finally, we compare the observed galaxy overdensities with numerical simulations of the development of large scale structure in the Universe. The preliminary results of this comparison provide strong additional evidence for the hypothesis that the radio galaxy protoclusters are forming massive clusters. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Best E-ELT site identified

    ASTRONOMY & GEOPHYSICS, Issue 2 2010
    Article first published online: 22 MAR 2010
    The Council of the European Southern Observatory has identified the best site for the European Extremely Large Telescope. [source]


    EAGLE: galaxy evolution with the E-ELT

    ASTRONOMY & GEOPHYSICS, Issue 2 2010
    Dr Chris Evans
    Chris Evans, Simon Morris, Jean-Gabriel Cuby, Matt Lehnert, Mark Swinbank and Mathieu Puech describe an instrument that could bring distant galaxies and stellar populations within reach of the European Extremely Large Telescope. [source]


    Two observatories, three dimensions

    ASTRONOMY & GEOPHYSICS, Issue 2 2009
    Article first published online: 23 MAR 200
    A combination of NASA/ESA's Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope has revealed the 3-D movements of gas in distant galaxies, and sprung some surprises for observers. [source]


    A synoptic program for large solar telescopes: Cyclic variation of turbulent magnetic fields

    ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 6 2010
    L. Kleint
    Abstract Upcoming large solar telescopes will offer the possibility of unprecedented high resolution observations. However, during periods of non-ideal seeing such measurements are impossible and alternative programs should be considered to best use the available observing time. We present a synoptic program, currently carried out at the Istituto Ricerche Solari Locarno (IRSOL), to monitor turbulent magnetic fields employing the differential Hanle effect in atomic and molecular lines. This program can be easily adapted for the use at large telescopes exploring new science goals, nowadays impossible to achieve with smaller telescopes. The current, interesting scientific results prove that such programs are worthwhile to be continued and expanded in the future. We calculate the approximately achievable spatial resolution at a large telescope like ATST for polarimetric measurements with a noise level below 5 × 10 -5 and a temporal resolution which is sufficient to explore variations on the granular scale. We show that it would be important to optimize the system for maximal photon throughput and to install a high-speed camera system to be able to study turbulent magnetic fields with unprecedented accuracy (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Prospects of stellar abundance studies from near-IR spectra observed with the E-ELT

    ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 4 2010
    N. Ryde
    Abstract In 2006 ESO Council authorized a Phase B study of a European AO-telescope with a 42 m segmented primary with a 5-mirror design, the E-ELT. Several reports and working groups have already presented science cases for an E-ELT, specifically exploiting the new capabilities of such a large telescope. One of the aims of the design has been to find a balance in the performances between an E-ELT and the James Webb Space Telescope, JWST. Apart from the larger photon-collecting area, the strengths of the former is the higher attainable spatial and spectral resolutions. The E-ELT AO system will have an optimal performance in the near-IR, which makes it specially advantageous. High-resolution spectroscopy in the near-infrared has, however, not been discussed much. This paper aims at filling that gap, by specifically discussing spectroscopy of stellar (mainly red giant), photospheric abundances. Based on studies in the literature of stellar abundances, at the needed medium to high spectral resolutions in the near-infrared (0.8,2.4 ,m), I will try to extrapolate published results to the performance of the E-ELT and explore what could be done at the E-ELT in this field. A discussion on what instrument characteristics that would be needed for stellar abundance analyses in the near-IR will be given (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Laser guide stars for extremely large telescopes: efficient Shack,Hartmann wavefront sensor design using the weighted centre-of-gravity algorithm

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2009
    L. Schreiber
    ABSTRACT Over the last few years increasing consideration has been given to the study of laser guide stars (LGS) for the measurement of the disturbance introduced by the atmosphere in optical and near-infrared (near-IR) astronomical observations from the ground. A possible method for the generation of a LGS is the excitation of the sodium layer in the upper atmosphere at approximately 90 km of altitude. Since the sodium layer is approximately 10 km thick, the artificial reference source looks elongated, especially when observed from the edge of a large aperture. The spot elongation strongly limits the performance of the most common wavefront sensors. The centroiding accuracy in a Shack,Hartmann wavefront sensor, for instance, decreases proportionally to the elongation (in a photon noise dominated regime). To compensate for this effect, a straightforward solution is to increase the laser power, i.e. to increase the number of detected photons per subaperture. The scope of the work presented in this paper is twofold: an analysis of the performance of the weighted centre of gravity algorithm for centroiding with elongated spots and the determination of the required number of photons to achieve a certain average wavefront error over the telescope aperture. [source]


    Astronomical site selection: on the use of satellite data for aerosol content monitoring

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2008
    A. M. Varela
    ABSTRACT The main goal of this work is to analyse new approaches to the study of the properties of astronomical sites. In particular, satellite data measuring aerosols have recently been proposed as a useful technique for site characterization and searching for new sites to host future very large telescopes. Nevertheless, these data need to be critically considered and interpreted in accordance with the spatial resolution and spectroscopic channels used. In this paper, we have explored and retrieved measurements from satellites with high spatial and temporal resolutions and concentrated on channels of astronomical interest. The selected data sets are the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on board the NASA Aura satellite and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on board the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites. A comparison of remote-sensing and in situ techniques is discussed. As a result, we find that aerosol data provided by satellites up to now are not reliable enough for aerosol site characterization, and in situ data are required. [source]


    Constraints on the ultraviolet metagalactic emissivity using the Ly, forest

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2003
    Avery Meiksin
    ABSTRACT Numerical hydrodynamical simulations have proven a successful means of reproducing many of the statistical properties of the Ly, forest as measured in high redshift quasar spectra. The source of ionization of the intergalactic medium (IGM), however, remains unknown. We investigate how the Ly, forest may be used to probe the nature of the sources. We show that the attenuation of Lyman continuum photons by the IGM depends sensitively on the emissivity of the sources, permitting a strong constraint to be set on the required emissivity to match the measured values of the mean IGM Ly, optical depth. We find that, within the observational errors, quasi-stellar object (QSO) sources alone are able to account for the required ultraviolet (UV) background at z, 4. By contrast, the emissivity of Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) must decline sharply with redshift, compared with the estimated emissivity at z, 3, so as not to overproduce the UV background and drive the mean Ly, optical depth to values that are too low. We also investigate the effect of fluctuations in the UV background, as would arise if QSOs dominated. To this end, we derive the distribution function of the background radiation field produced by discrete sources in an infinite universe, including the effects of attenuation by an intervening absorbing medium. We show that, for z, 5, the fluctuations significantly boost the mean Ly, optical depth, and so increase the estimate for the mean ionization rate required to match the measured mean Ly, optical depths. The fluctuations will also result in large spatial correlations in the ionization level of the IGM. We show that the large mean Ly, optical depth measured at z, 6 suggests such large correlations will be present if QSOs dominate the UV background. A secondary, smaller effect of the UV background fluctuations is a distortion of the pixel flux distribution. While the effect on the distribution may be too small to detect with existing telescopes, it may be measurable with the extremely large telescopes planned for the future. We also show that if QSOs dominate the UV background at z, 6, then they will be sufficient in number to rejuvenate the ionization of a previously ionized IGM if it has not yet fully recombined. [source]


    A synoptic program for large solar telescopes: Cyclic variation of turbulent magnetic fields

    ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 6 2010
    L. Kleint
    Abstract Upcoming large solar telescopes will offer the possibility of unprecedented high resolution observations. However, during periods of non-ideal seeing such measurements are impossible and alternative programs should be considered to best use the available observing time. We present a synoptic program, currently carried out at the Istituto Ricerche Solari Locarno (IRSOL), to monitor turbulent magnetic fields employing the differential Hanle effect in atomic and molecular lines. This program can be easily adapted for the use at large telescopes exploring new science goals, nowadays impossible to achieve with smaller telescopes. The current, interesting scientific results prove that such programs are worthwhile to be continued and expanded in the future. We calculate the approximately achievable spatial resolution at a large telescope like ATST for polarimetric measurements with a noise level below 5 × 10 -5 and a temporal resolution which is sufficient to explore variations on the granular scale. We show that it would be important to optimize the system for maximal photon throughput and to install a high-speed camera system to be able to study turbulent magnetic fields with unprecedented accuracy (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    High-fidelity spectroscopy at the highest resolutions

    ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 5 2010
    D. Dravins
    Abstract High-fidelity spectroscopy presents challenges for both observations and in designing instruments. High-resolution and high-accuracy spectra are required for verifying hydrodynamic stellar atmospheres and for resolving intergalactic absorption-line structures in quasars. Even with great photon fluxes from large telescopes with matching spectrometers, precise measurements of line profiles and wavelength positions encounter various physical, observational, and instrumental limits. The analysis may be limited by astrophysical and telluric blends, lack of suitable lines, imprecise laboratory wavelengths, or instrumental imperfections. To some extent, such limits can be pushed by forming averages over many similar spectral lines, thus averaging away small random blends and wavelength errors. In situations where theoretical predictions of lineshapes and shifts can be accurately made (e.g., hydrodynamic models of solar-type stars), the consistency between noisy observations and theoretical predictions may be verified; however this is not feasible for, e.g., the complex of intergalactic metal lines in spectra of distant quasars, where the primary data must come from observations. To more fully resolve lineshapes and interpret wavelength shifts in stars and quasars alike, spectral resolutions on order R = 300 000 or more are required; a level that is becoming (but is not yet) available. A grand challenge remains to design efficient spectrometers with resolutions approaching R = 1 000 000 for the forthcoming generation of extremely large telescopes (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    The Multi-frequency Robotic facility REM: first results

    ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 6-8 2004
    S. Covino
    Abstract The REM Observatory, recently installed and commissioned at la Silla Observatory Chile, is the first moderate aperture robotic telescope able to cover simultaneously the visible-NIR (0.45-2.3 microns) wavelength range. Due to its very fast pointing and its full robotization REM is conceived for fast transients observation. The high throughput Infrared Camera (REMIR) and the Visible imaging spectrograph (ROSS), simultaneously fed by a dichroic, allow to collect high S/N data in an unprecedented large spectral range on a telescope of this size. The REMobservatory is an example of a versatile and agile facility necessary complement to large telescopes in fields in which rapid response and/or target pre-screening are necessary. This paper describes the principal Characteristics and operation modes of the REM observatory and gives on overview of the preliminary results obtained during the commissioning phase. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]