This document describes the scientific case for a wide-field 6.5-m spectroscopic telescope. The key scientific aims are linked to two different modes of operation: 1) Study the detailed astrophysics of extended systems via high-quality, medium-resolution spectroscopy using multiple Integral Field Units (IFU) and 2) Study the structure of the

The Observatorio Astronómico Nacional at San Pedro Mártir is located 31°02'40'' N and 115°28'00'' W on the summit of the Sierra San Pedro Mártir in the Baja California peninsula, Mexico, at 2800 m above sea level. The results of nearly three decades of site characterization work are summarized. These cover the following aspects: weather, cloud

We examine whether it is possible to derive the field strength distribution of quiet-Sun internetwork regions from very high spatial resolution polarimetric observations in the visible. In particular, we consider the case of the spectropolarimeter attached to the Solar Optical Telescope aboard Hinode. Radiative magnetoconvection simulations are

Context: The eclipsing δ Scuti star HD 172189 is a probable member of the open cluster IC 4756 and a promising candidate target for the CoRoT mission. Aims: The detection of pulsation modes is the first step in the asteroseismological study of the star. Further, the calculation of the orbital parameters of the binary system allows us to make a

Context: A severe problem for research in star-formation is that the masses of young stars are almost always estimated from evolutionary tracks alone. Since the tracks published by different groups differ, it is often only possible to give a rough estimate of the masses of young stars. It is thus crucial to test and calibrate the tracks. Up to now

We explore correlations between visual extinction and polarization along the western side of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) Vela Shell using a published polarimetric catalog of several hundred objects. Our extinction maps along this ionization front (I-front) find evidence of clumpy structure with typical masses between 1.5 and 6 Msolar