ESA’s Hera mission for planetary defense performed a flyby of Mars, as part of its gravitational assistance manoeuvre to shorten its journey to the binary asteroid system Didymos. During the flyby, the spacecraft came around 5000 km from the surface of Mars, having also the opportunity to obtain images of its two moons, Deimos (during the approach) and Phobos (when departing Mars). Julia de León, Javier Licandro, and George Prodan, researchers at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, participate in this mission, successfully launched from Cape Cañaveral, Florida (USA) on October 7, 2024

The IAC's Educational Project with Robotic Telescopes (PETeR) offers a new edition of its online teacher training entitled ‘ Investigate the Universe with Robotic Telescopes’. This activity, organised in collaboration with the STEAM area of the regional Ministry of Education of the Canary Islands Government, aims to provide knowledge and tools to incorporate astronomy in the classroom through the use of professional robotic telescopes, the analysis of scientific data and active learning methodologies. PETeR is an educational project that gives schools free access to professional telescopes

The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) is currently hosting the first Workshop of the European project UNDARK, a pioneering initiative that brings together international experts in astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics to explore the great enigmas of the dark universe. The meeting, held at the IAC headquarters from September 29 to October 3, places special emphasis on radio wave observations and their connections with gravitational wave detection. Throughout the week, leading researchers are discussing the latest advances, ongoing projects, and future observational and