The Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) with a segmented 10.4m-diameter primary mirror is the largest optical-infrared telescope in the world. The GTC is a partnership between Spain, Mexico, and the University of Florida. Regular peer-reviewed proposals are being accepted from the partnership researchers ever since it started operations in 2009. Between 2008 and 2010, a total of 122 nights of Spanish GTC time was offered to the European Southern Observatory (ESO) community through the ESO/GTC large programmes. The ESO Observing Program Committee (OPC) awarded nine ESO/GTC large programmes:

http://www.eso.org/sci/observing/teles-alloc/gtc.html

Approximately 95% of these observations have already been taken. The open time, guaranteed time and ESO/GTC LP observations have resulted in more than 100 refereed publications covering a large range of scientific topics.

Currently there are two instruments on the GTC: OSIRIS, working in the optical spectral range and CanariCam, working in the mid-infrared. The GTC staff are commissioning the visiting near-infrared instrument CIRCE and the workhorse near-infrared instrument EMIR is planned to arrive at the GTC in the summer of 2015. Three second generation instruments, FRIDA, MEGARA, and MIRADAS, are currently being built, and will extend the spectroscopic capabilities of GTC in the optical and near-infrared.

The main goal of this special session is to present the most exciting GTC science to the European astronomical community.

Programme

• Solar System
• Exoplanets
• Compact Stellar Objects
• Supernovae
• ISM
• GRB
• Galaxies and AGN
• Cosmology

Invited speakers

Scientific organisers
Chairs:

Contact
aalonso @ ifca.unican.es