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We present the statistics of the asteroids observed and discovered at the Molėtai Observatory, Lithuania, in 2008–2009 within the project for astrometric observations of the near-Earth objects (NEOs), the main belt asteroids and comets. CCD observations of the asteroids were obtained with the 35/51-cm Maksutov-type meniscus telescope. In the Minor Planet Circulars and the Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (2008–2009), 11 900 astrometric positions of 2522 asteroids were published. Among them 95 were new asteroids, including four belonging to the Trojan group: (352655) 2008QX28, 2008 SE8, (353194) 2009 SM100 and (264068) 2009 SQ148. For the asteroids discovered at Molėtai their precise orbits are calculated. Because of short observational arc, a few asteroids have low-precision orbits and some asteroids are considered lost. For the three Main Belt asteroids with low-precision orbital elements, 2008 QP32, 2008 SD8 and 2008 SG150, we present their ephemerides for 2017. They can be brighter than 20 mag.

The paper presents statistics of the asteroids observed and discovered at the Molėtai Observatory, Lithuania, in 2005–2007 within the project for astrometric observations of the near-Earth objects (NEOs), the main belt asteroids and comets. CCD observations of asteroids were obtained with the 35/51 cm Maksutov-type meniscus telescope and the 1.65 m Ritchey-Chretien reflector. In the Minor Planet Circulars and the Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (2005–2007) we published 17 003 astrometric positions of 2980 asteroids. Among them 112 were new normal asteroids and one NEO (2006 SF77) discovered at Molėtai; a few NEOs were found by our team independently. For the asteroids discovered at Molėtai their precise orbits were calculated. Because of short observational arc, a few asteroids have low-precision orbits and some asteroids have been lost. For three of them with low-precision orbital elements (NEO 2006 SF77 and two Mars crossers – 2006 SN368 and 2007 VM315), we present their ephemerides for 2016–2018.

A project for astrometric and photometric observations of asteroids with the VATT telescope on Mt. Graham is described. One of the most important results is the discovery of the Transneptunian object (420356) Praamžius. We computed its orbit applying 198 optical observations from 2003 February 1 to 2016 January 30. We also followed its orbit searching for minimal distances to Neptune between the years 17 000 and −13 000. Combined with the apparent brightness, the orbit gives the absolute magnitude MR = 5.59 ± 0.37 mag. Using a typical albedo value of 0.08 for Centaurs and TNOs, we get a diameter of (420356) Praamžius in the range 302–425 km.

A project for astrometric and photometric observations of asteroids at Mt. Graham Observatory with the VATT telescope is described. One of the most important results is a discovery of the Centaur 2012 DS85. Astrometric and photometric data on the asteroid are presented. The orbit of the asteroid was computed from 67 observations. Combined with its apparent brightness, the orbit gives an absolute magnitude of 9.43. Using a typical albedo value of 0.08 for Centaurs and TNOs (Moullet et al. 2011), we get a diameter of 2012 DS85 at about 61 km.

We describe an observational project devoted to astrometric observations of Near-Earth Objects (NEO), main belt asteroids and comets at the Molėtai Observatory, Lithuania. Exposures are obtained with the two telescopes of the observatory: 0.35/0.50 m f/3.5 Maksutov telescope and the 1.65 m reflector with focal reductor f/3.1 and CCD camera. The results of more than 10,000 positions of asteroids and comets have been published in the Minor Planet Circulars and Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. During the 2001–2006 period 130 new asteroids were discovered. The latest discovery is the high-inclination asteroid 2006 SF77 belonging to the NEO Aten group.

Seven-color photometry in the Vilnius system has been obtained for 420 stars down to V=16 mag in the area containing the overlapping open clusters NGC 1750 and NGC 1758 in Taurus. Spectral and luminosity classes, color excesses, interstellar extinctions, and interstellar distances are given for 287 stars. The classification of stars is based on their reddening-free Q-parameters. Eighteen stars observed photoelectrically were used as standards. The extinction versus distance diagram exhibits the presence of one dust cloud at a distance of 175 pc, which almost coincides with the distance of other dust clouds in the Taurus complex. The clusters NGC 1750 and NGC 1758 are found to be at the same distance of approximately 760 pc and may penetrate each other. Their interstellar extinction A(V) is 1.06 mag, which corresponds to E(B-V) = 0.34 mag. (3 tables, 5 figures, 10 refs.)

Spectral and luminosity classes, absolute magnitudes, color excesses, interstellar extinctions and distances are determined for 98 stars down to 18 mag in the Barnard 1 dark cloud belonging to the Per OB2 association. The classification of stars is based on their photoelectric photometry in the Vilnius seven-color photometric system. The extinction vs. distance diagram exhibits the presence of two dust layers at 150 and 230 pc distances. The distance of the first cloud, which gives an extinction Ay of 0.3 mag, coincides with the distance of the Taurus dark cloud complex. The second cloud with much larger extinction is about at the same distance as the clouds in the direction of the nearby objects: reflection nebula NGC 1333 and open cluster IG 348.

Vilnius seven-color photometry has been obtained for 238 stars down to ~13 mag in the area of the California Nebula in Perseus. For nearly all of the stars, photometric spectral classes, luminosity classes, absolute magnitudes, interstellar reddenings, extinctions and distances are determined. The "extinction versus distance" diagrams give evidence for the presence of one dust layer at ~160 pc distance in the direction of the California Nebula and its nearest surroundings and of two dust layers at distances of 160 pc and 300 pc north-west of the nebula, in the direction of the dark clouds L 1449 and L 1456. The front layer contributes extinction between 0.3 and 1.3 mag, and the second layer gives about 1 mag of additional extinction. It appears likely that the front dust layer is the extension of the Taurus dark clouds. The second dust layer probably belongs to the complex of dark clouds found in other areas of the southern part of Perseus (in the directions of the open cluster IC 348, the reflection nebula NGC 1333, etc.). Both cloud complexes run more or less parallel to the Galactic plane.

The interstellar extinction is investigated in a 1.5 deg2 area in the direction of the open cluster M29 (NGC 6913) in Cygnus, centered at R.A. = 20h 24m, decl. = +38° 30′. The study is based on photometric classification of 1110 stars in spectral and luminosity classes down to V = 19 mag using photometry in the Vilnius seven-color system published in Paper I (Milasius et al. 2013). Additionally, in the same area the extinction is investigated using 1147 red clump giants (RCGs), identified by combining selected two-color diagrams of the 2MASS and Spitzer surveys. The investigated area is divided into three parts with different obscuration and in these directions the extinction versus distance plots up to 5 kpc are presented. In the whole area a steep rise of the extinction is observed at a distance of ∼800 pc; it should be related to dust clouds in the Great Cygnus Rift obscuring the stars behind it by AV = 4.0–4.7 mag. RCGs exhibit much larger extinction values, up to = 1.2–1.3 mag in the more transparent areas and 1.45 mag in the northeastern part of the area and above it, where the dust cloud TGU H466 is located. These values of correspond to AV = 10–12 mag. We do not exclude the possibility that the largest values of the extinction belong not to RCGs but to some contaminating intrinsically red AGB stars penetrated through the applied RCG selection constraints. The extinction in the TGU H466 cloud probably originates in two cloud systems—the Great Cygnus Rift at 800 pc and the Cygnus X complex of dust and molecular clouds at 1.3–1.5 kpc.

A project devoted to astrometric and photometric observations of asteroids at the Molėtai Observatory is described. One of its most important results is the discovery of the asteroid 2010 BT3 belonging to the Amor group of the near-Earth objects. The results of astrometric and photometric observations of the asteroid are presented. The brightness variations of the asteroid are found to be about 0.2 mag in R. The orbit of the asteroid was computed from 96 observations. This orbit, combined with the apparent brightness, gives the absolute magnitude 21.34 mag and the diameter between 160 m and 360 m, taking albedos of S-type and C-type asteroids, respectively.