Abstract. Near-infrared observations of line emission from excited H 2 and in the continuum are reported in the direction of the Orion molecular cloud OMC1, using the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope UT4, equipped with the NAOS adaptive optics system on the CONICA infrared array camera. Spatial resolution has been achieved at close to the diffraction limit of the telescope (0.08 −0.12 ) and images show a wealth of morphological detail. Structure is not fractal but shows two preferred scale sizes of 2. (1100 AU) and 1.2 (540 AU), where the larger scale may be associated with star formation.

More and more, hyperspectral images are envisaged to improve the aerial reconnaissance capability of airborne systems, both for civilian and military applications. To confirm the hopes put in this new way of imaging a scene, it is necessary to develop airborne systems allowing the measurement of the spectral signatures of objects of interest in real conditions, with high spectral and spatial resolutions. The purpose of this paper is to present the design and the first in-flight results of the dual-band infrared spectro-imaging system called Sieleters. This system has demonstrated simultaneously a ground sampling distance of 0.5m, associated with a spectral resolution of 11 cm(-1) for the Mid-Wave InfraRed (MWIR) and 5 cm(-1) for the Long-Wave InfraRed (LWIR).

Adaptive Optics as a new tool for astronomical observation has proved a powerful means of investigation in high angular resolution programs. However, in spite of the complexity of the components involved (wavefront sensor, real-time computer) , its use must be made as simple as possible in order to make it accessible to the largest audience of observers, and to answer the more demanding needs of modern observatories such as queue scheduling, service observing or remote observing. The Computer Aided Control (CAC) developed for the Nasmyth Adaptive Optics System (NAOS) of the Very Large Telescope (VLT), will provide the astronomer with an extensive support, from the preparation of optimized observations to the automated operation of the instrument at the telescope either for hardware control, real time computing, or even preventive maintenance.

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