We tested the characteristics of the BOAO Medium Dispersion Spectrograph (MDS) such as the CCD capabilities, wavelength shift by gravity direction variation, slit illumination function and efficiency. Then we calculated the appropriate exposure time to obtain the given S/N ratio for several given magnitudes. Also the remaining problems to be improved were discussed.

The BOES (BOAO Echelle Spectrograph), a fiber-fed echelle spectrograph of the BOAO 1.8 m telescope, has been designed and now is being manufactured. The BOES follows a white pupil design collimated with two off-axis parabolic mirrors. The 136mm collimating beam leaving the 41.59 grooves/mm R4 echelle grating is refocused near the narrow folding mirror. Through the two cross-disperser prisms and ϕ250mm(f/1.5) ϕ250mm(f/1.5) transmission camera, the beam images on EEV 2k×4k 2k×4k CCD. The BOES can take the wavelength range of 3700 to 10100Å at a single spot with spectral resolution R = 20000 to 40000 depending on the fiber set employed. We describe the key sciences and performance, current status of construction, and future plan of the BOES.

We have conducted BV RI CCD surface photometry of three spiral galaxies ESO 598-G009, NGC 1515 and NGC 7456. In order to understand the morphological properties and luminosity distribution characteristics for each galaxy, we derived isophotal map, position angle profile, ellipticity profile, luminosity profile, color profile and color contour map. ESO 598-G009, which has a bright bulge component and a ring, shows a trace of gravitational interaction. NGC 1515 is a spiral galaxy with a bar and dust lane. NGC 7456 shows typical characteristics of a late type spiral galaxy.

We have studied the IR properties of molecular clouds in the region of the supershell GS234-02 using IRAS and COBE data. The mean values of dust color temperature and optical depth at 240μm are derived to be 15.4±1.5 K and 9.0±5.7×10-4, respectively, which agree well with those determined by Sodroski et al.(1994) for the outer Galaxy. Mean IRAS colors, R12/100= 0.074, R25/100= 0.052, R60/100= 0.219, indicate that the abundance of PAHs is enhanced but other particles are nearly the same as those of the solar neighborhood. We found the anticorrelation between R100/140 and R140/240. It cannot be explained by the thermal emission of traditional big grains. The anticorrelation implies that, at high ISRF, T100/140 underestimates the equilibrium temperature, while T140/240 overestimates it and, at low ISRF, vice versa. Therefore we propose to use the intensity ratio, R100/240 as a dust thermometer.