The single star nearest to the Sun is called Barnard’s star. A team of researchers led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), has recently detected a ‘sub-Earth’ orbiting it. This exoplanet, called Barnard b has at least half the mass of Venus and orbits rapidly around its star, so that its year lasts only a little over three Earth days. This new exoplanet is sixteen times nearer to Barnard’d star than Mercury is to the Sun, and has a surface temperature close to 125oC, so it does not have liquid water on its surface. This discovery, led by the IAC in collaboration with a number

El Observatorio del Teide recibe este fin de semana a cerca de 1.000 visitantes en sus tradicionales Jornadas de Puertas Abiertas, organizadas por el Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) con motivo del solsticio de verano. Esta iniciativa, ya consolidada en el calendario divulgativo del IAC, ofrece a la ciudadanía la oportunidad de acercarse a la ciencia y a las infraestructuras científicas de Canarias de forma directa y cercana. La actividad está coordinada conjuntamente por el propio Observatorio y por la Unidad de Comunicación y Cultura Científica (UC3) del IAC, en el marco de las

The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias has put itself on the frontier of astrophysical technology by developing the first integrated photonic circuit designed entirely within the Institute. This pioneering advance will permit the improvement of astronomical instruments, and the development of innovative systems for observing the universe. Astrophysical instrumentation, for both ground-based and space-based use is so specialized that often comercial systems and subsystems do not come up to the required specifications, This makes it necessary to buy high priced components or to delegate