News

This section includes scientific and technological news from the IAC and its Observatories, as well as press releases on scientific and technological results, astronomical events, educational projects, outreach activities and institutional events.

List view
  • Cartel del programa "Habla Con Ellas: Mujeres en Astronomía" edición 2025
    Press release
    “Habla con Ellas: Mujeres en Astronomía” celebrates its seventh edition inspiring new generations in Spain and the Caribbean
    The project “ Habla con Ellas: Mujeres en Astronomía” (Talk to Them: Women in Astronomy) of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) begins today its seventh edition in Spain as part of the celebrations of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Aimed at the Spanish educational community, it seeks to create new professional role models in science and technology, as well as to inspire new generations, especially girls, to follow in their footsteps. In this edition, the project will feature 36 female astrophysicists, engineers and technologists from the IAC, the Canary
    Advertised on
  • The CELESTE project, of advanced technology for optics and space at the IAC, starts to move ahead
    The CELESTE project, of advanced technology for optics and space at the IAC, starts to move ahead
    This Thursday, February 6th, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, IAC, welcomes the meeting to launch the European project CELESTE (Cutting Edge Leap to Excellence in Space and Optics Technologies). This project, led by the IAC, started on January 1st, and will last until the end of 2030; it has received 12 million euros of funding through the European Research Executive Agency (REA) which is complemented by funding from the Government of the Canaries and from the Cabildo of Tenerife, with 6 million euros from each. The aim of the CELESTE project is to place the Canary Islands as a
    Advertised on
  • Scientists confirm the lunar origin of Near-Earth asteroid 2024 PT5
    Press release
    Scientists confirm the lunar origin of Near-Earth asteroid 2024 PT5
    This is the third “mini-Moon” with lunar-like material identified as part of the Arjuna asteroid belt, where objects follow similar orbits around the Sun to that of the Earth-Moon system. IAC, February 6, 2025. – Near-Earth asteroid 2024 PT5 orbits around the Sun following a trajectory very similar to that of the Earth-Moon system, and during two months of 2024, it accompained our Earth on its journey. This asteroid has material on its surface that was originated in the Moon, as it has been proved by a research led by the Insituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Universidad
    Advertised on
  • The Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC)/ Pablo Bonet
    Press release
    The IAC is actively tracking the asteroid that the UN has qualified as potentially dangerous
    The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) is one of the international researches centres which is following actively the asteroid 2024 YR4 which has been qualified by the United Nations (UN) as potentially dangerous, because it has a 1.5% probability of impacting the Earth during 2032.The asteroid was discovered in 2024 and has an estimated size of between 40 and 90 metres. Given these figures, the UN has activated the protocols of planetary defence to obtain more accurate estimates of the orbit, the size and the threat which might be presented by 2024 YR4. The protocols of the UN are
    Advertised on
  • El programa Investigadores Visitantes Fundación Occident/ Inés Bonet (IAC)
    Press release
    El IAC y la Fundación Occident apuestan por el fomento del intercambio de talento científico
    El Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) sigue afianzando su liderazgo investigador y de atracción de talento científico con el programa “ Investigadores Visitantes” de Fundación Occident. En este recién terminado año 2024, el programa cumple una década ininterrumpida de trabajo atrayendo a decenas de personas investigadoras cada año que han realizado estancias, de mínimo un mes y hasta tres meses, en el IAC. El programa permite que el personal investigador invitado comparta espacio y trabajo con miembros de los distintos grupos de investigación establecidos en el IAC, de forma que el
    Advertised on
  • iacobxii
    Research news
    The helium enrichment in massive stars during the main sequence could be the result of mass accretion
    There is increasing evidence that single-star evolutionary models are unable to reproduce all of the observational properties of massive stars. Binary interaction has emerged as a key factor in the evolution of a significant fraction of massive stars. In this study, we investigate the helium (Y(He)) and nitrogen surface abundances in a comprehensive sample of 180 Galactic O-type stars with projected rotational velocities of ≤150 km/s. We found a subsample (~20% of the total, and ~80% of the stars with Y(He) ≥ 0.12) with a Y(He) and nitrogen abundance combined pattern that is unexplainable by
    Advertised on