In the internet era, data archiving constitutes a key tool to multiply the efficiency, competitiveness and scientific yield of astronomical observatories. From July 2011 Calar Alto Observatory is providing its users and the general scientific community with a more efficient and safer data access, through a new in situ data archiving system. At the same time, the Centre for Astrobiology (CAB) has set up a system for Calar Alto data archiving compatible with the Virtual Observatory standard. The outstanding performance of these systems, mutually complementary and continuously updated, offers resources that will contribute to maintain the German-Spanish Astronomical Centre at the forefront of observational astronomy in Europe…

During the last 130 years of observation, the giant planet Saturn has shown huge storms five times. They have been dubbed Great White Spots. These phenomena have repeated in every turn of Saturn around the Sun, which takes about thirty years. However, some months ago one of these events was detected much earlier than expected. The observations of the development of this storm performed by a research team leaded by Agustín Sánchez Lavega have allowed to improve the knowledge of the atmosphere of the ringed planet. Calar Alto Observatory has contributed to this study by providing some data, and is performing a continuous follow-up of the phenomenon...

Stars are balls of glowing gas, with a nearly spherical shape. Accordingly, one would expect that when some stars explode as supernovae at the end of their lives, the resulting colossal fireballs should share this spherical symmetry. However, recent investigations are revealing that some of these events are not round. New data gathered at Calar Alto Observatory reinforce this surprising finding…