Nearly diffraction limit images obtained with AdOpt@TNG in K' band During the night between the 5th and 6th of september, 2001, the Adaptive Optics Team of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (AdOpt@TNG), led by R. Ragazzoni, has successfully closed the higher orders loop using the Pyramid WaveFront Sensor mounted on the AdOpt@TNG system. It is the first time ever that this kind of sensor is used in an AO system to close the loop on real stars: it can be considered a milestone for the AO...

OIG image of Jupiter in the I band with an exceptional seeing of about 0.38", courtesy of Paolo Tanga (Torino Astronomical Observatory) and Gianni Tessicini (TNG Staff).

Complete near-infrared (0.9-2.4 microns) spectral observations of trans-neptunian objects (TNOs) 2000 WR106 (actually named 20000 VARUNA) and 2000 EB173 were done using the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NICS) low-dispersion - high throughput spectroscopic mode with an Amici prism disperser. TNOs spectra togheter with the reflectance spectrum of 10 microns water ice particles at 90 K are shown in the figure. Both spectra correspond to very red objects. The spectrum of 2000 WR106 has quite deep...