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The main objective of this work is to compositionally analyse the visible to near-infrared spectra of a total of six V-type candidates identified using the MOVIS (Y - J) versus (J - Ks) colour–colour plot and located outside the Vesta collisional family. We obtained visible and near-infrared spectra of these asteroids using the 2.54m Isaac Newton Telescope, the 2.5m Nordic Optical Telescope, and the 3.58m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, all located at the El Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory (La Palma, Spain), as well as the 3.0m NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, located at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. We computed several diagnostic spectral parameters (slopes, band centres, band depths, band area ratio, or BAR) and compared them to the ones known for HED meteorites and (4) Vesta. The taxonomic classification confirmed five out of the six candidates as V-types, leading to an identification success rate about 83 per cent. In general, the spectral parameters obtained for the five V-types are in good agreement with those of HED meteorites and (4) Vesta. The exception is asteroid (2452) Lyot, a V-type in the outer belt, located very close to (1459) Magnya, but showing distinct [Wo] and [Fs] molar contents both from Magnya and Vesta, pointing toward a diogenitic compostion. We also studied the dependency of the BAR parameter on the way it is computed (removing or not the continuum), the spectral slope, and the last point used to delimit the right wing of the absorption band at 2 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present measurements of the atmospheric water vapour content above the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM) obtained using the Global Positioning System (GPS). The GPS measurements have been evaluated by comparison with 940-nm radiometer observations. A statistical analysis of the GPS measurements points to the ORM as an observing site with suitable conditions for infrared observations, with a median column of precipitable water vapour (PWV) of 3.8 mm. PWV presents a clear seasonal behaviour, with winter and spring being the best seasons for infrared observations. The percentage of nights showing PWV values less than 3 mm is over 60 per cent in February, March and April. We have also estimated the temporal variability of water vapour content at the ORM. We present a summary of PWV statistical results at different astronomical sites, noting that these values are not directly comparable as a result of the differences in the techniques used to recorded the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]