One of the biggest recent surprises in astronomy is the discovery that most stars like the Sun harbor a planet between the size of Earth and Neptune within the orbit of Mercury — sizes and orbits absent from our solar system. These ‘ super-Earths' and ` sub-Neptunes’ are the galaxy's most common planets, but their formation has been shrouded in mystery. Now, an international team of astronomers has found a crucial missing link. By weighing four newborn planets in the V1298 Tau system, they've captured a rare snapshot of worlds in the process of transforming into the galaxy's most common

The PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars) space mission, led by the European Space Agency (ESA), has recently completed one of the most delicate phases of its development: the integration of its main components, the 26 scientific cameras and the service module that houses all the instrument's acquisition, processing, and control electronics. This stage, carried out at the facilities of the aerospace company OHB in Germany, marks a fundamental step toward the launch scheduled for December 2026 from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 6 rocket. “Almost eight years after ESA gave the

The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) announces the arrival of the Astronomy on Tapinternational talk series in Spain, with its very first edition to be held in Tenerife. This outreach initiative, which was created in the United States and has since expanded worldwide, will now take place in the Canary Islands under the name "Astronomy on Tap – Canary Islands” and the local nickname “AstroTragos,” and is carried out within the framework of the EDUCADO and ExGal-Twin projects at IAC. The debut event will be held at the Búho Club (Calle Catedral, 3, La Laguna, Tenerife) on Thursday