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SHARK-NIR is an instrument providing high-contrast coronagraphic imaging, dual band imaging and low resolution spectroscopy in Y, J and H bands, taking advantage of the high performance of the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) AO systems. Its main scientific drivers is the detection and characterization of exoplanets, circumstellar disks, Solar System small bodies and acrive galactic nuclei. Binocular observations are provided by exploiting the synergy with SHARK-VIS (operating in V band) and LMIRCam of LBTI (operating from K to M band). SHARK-NIR was shipped to LBT in June 2022, and up to November 2022 was the subject of the three pre-commissioning runs: the first to install and test the instrument in the high-bay LBT clean tent, the second to install and align the instrument to the telescope and the third to perform daytime testing. This pre-commissioning phase resulted in the successful alignment of the instrument with a very good internal optical quality and the performance of additional tests using simulated turbulence injected through LBT Adaptive Secondary Mirror. In January 2023 we had the first commissioning run and the instrument first light, in which we successfully tested the imaging capabilities with and without the Gaussian Lyot coronagraph. In March 2023 we had the second commissioning run, in which despite the bad weather we successfully performed a variety of technical activities, as well as preliminary testing of the Shaped Pupil coronagraph. After two additional commissioning runs in May and October, our first early scientific run in October 2023 focused on the Taurus star formation region, a region populated by targets of considerable scientific interest. In this paper we will give an overview of commissioning and the early science phases running from October 2023 to May 2024, focusing on the technical challenges we overcame and future work needed to push the instrument to its very limit, as well as presenting the first preliminary scientific results.
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