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.

  • El director del IAC, Valentín Martínez Pillet, en la inauguración de la XXV Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics.
    El director del Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Valentín Martínez Pillet; y la directora del Museo de la Ciencia y el Cosmos, Antonia Varela, inauguraron esta mañana la XXV Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics. Esta tradicional escuela organizada por el IAC tiene lugar hasta el próximo 17 de octubre y acoge a 60 estudiantes de máster, doctorado y postdoctorado de trece países distintos que se encontrarán en Tenerife para recibir una visión completa y exhaustiva sobre la evolución de las galaxias. Valentín Martínez Pillet dio la bienvenida al estudiantado y expuso que esta
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  • Action space (normalized to the sum of the three actions of motion, Jtot) of Gaia RVS stars
    The formation and evolution of the disk of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, remains an enigma in astronomy. In particular, the relationship between the thick disk and the thin disk —two key components of the Milky Way— is still unclear. Understanding the chemical and dynamical properties of the stars within these disks is crucial, especially in the parameter spaces where their characteristics overlap, such the metallicity regime around [Fe/H] ~ -0.7, which marks the metal-poor end of the thin disk, higher than that of the thick disk. This is often interpreted as an indication that the thin disk
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  • The Mercator telescope and the new domes of the Marvel instrument / IAC
    The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the KU Leuven , Belgium, have amplified their framework of collaboration in astrophysical research. The two institutions have signed an agreement which gives continuity to the operations of the Mercator Telescope at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM), which started in 2002, and whose work will be strengthened by the installation of a new instrument called MARVEL (Mercator Array for Radial Velocities). Mercator is a semi-robotic telescope with a 1.2 metre primary mirror. Its name comes from that of the famous Flemish cartographer
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  • The representing of EST-FC, Manuel Collados and the director of the IAC, Valentín Martínez Pillet / Inés Bonet (IAC)
    The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the European Solar Telescope Fundación Canaria (EST-FC) have signed thos Friday October 4th the agreement to promote the construction of the European Solar Telescope (EST). This ambitious project aims to consolidate and expand the Canary Islands' position as a world leader in solar physics research. The agreement was ratified by the director of the IAC, Valentín Martínez Pillet, and the representive of EST-FC, Manuel Collados. The signing act was attended by other members involved in the project: Héctor Socas-Navarro, Alejandra Martín; and
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  • Poster of the ‘XXXV Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics’ / Gabriel Pérez (IAC)
    The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the University of La Laguna (ULL) are organizing the XXXV edition of the Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysic s which will take place between the 8 th and the 17 th of October in La Laguna,Tenerife. For this edition there will be 60 participants, including master’s and doctor’s degree students and postdocs, from thirteen different countries who will come to Tenerife to receive a complete and exhaustive view of the evolution of the galaxies. The Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysic s is a key event in the calendar of the
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  • Recreation of the landscape of the exoplanet Barnard b orbiting its star / Gabriel Pérez (IAC)
    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
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