A pioneering study from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) which combines laboratory chemistry with astrophysics, has shown for the first time that grains of dust formed by carbon and hydrogen in a highly disordered state, known as HAC, can take part in the formation of fullerenes, carbon molecules which are of key importance for the development of life in the universe, and with potential applications in nanotechnology. The results are published as a Letter to the Editor in the prestigious journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Fullerenes are carbon molecules which are very big

An international collaboration, with the participation of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), determines with an unprecedented level of precision the mass, age and rotation profile of the core of a massive pulsating star. Known as HD 192575, it has been observed by the NASA space telescope TESS continuously for more than a year. The results shed new light on how such stars are internally structured and how they evolve until their death, when they explode as supernovae and form neutron stars and black holes. The scientific team has also used observations made with the Mercator

An international piece of research, led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has found clues to the nature of some of the brightest and hottest stars in our Universe, called blue supergiants. Although these stars are commonly observed, their origin has been an old puzzle that has been debated for several decades. By simulating novel stellar models and analysing a large data sample in the Large Magellanic Cloud, IAC researchers have found strong evidence that most blue supergiants may have formed from the merger of two stars bound in a binary system. The study is published in the