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
  • Image illustrating the comparison between an active spiral galaxy (orange box) and its non-active twin (blue box). Credit: Gabriel Pérez Díaz, SMM (IAC).
    Press release
    Differences between the discs of active and non-active galaxies detected for the first time
    A study led by researchers at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), making comparison between the discs of several pairs of spiral galaxies, active and non-active, concludes that in the discs of the former the rotational motion of the stars is of greater importance. This study, just accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters, is the first evidence for large scale dynamical differences between active and non-active galaxies in the local universe. The astronomers participating are from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the University of La Laguna
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  • Image of those attending the Governing Council held today at the IAC headquarters. Credit: Inés Bonet (IAC).
    Press release
    Pedro Duque attends the “official opening” of IACTEC and presides over the Governing Council of the IAC
    The Minister of Science and Innovation this morning presided over the annual meeting of the Governing Council of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) after the “official opening” of the installations of IACTEC in La Laguna, which are fully operational from today. In a press conference he stressed the programmes which will be carried out in the Area of Cooperation Business-Technology, among them the new Centre of Advanced Optical Systems (CSOA). He also reported on the current state of the negotiations regarding the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), of greatest international interest
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  • Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence Qualification
    Press release
    The IAC has its qualification as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence renewed
    The Ministry of Science and Innovation published yesterday the provisional resolution of the qualification of the Centres and Units of Excellence, granting the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias the recognition as a Centre of Excellence for the third consecutive time. The National Research Agency (AEI for its Spanish initials), which depends on the Ministry of Science and Innovation, has published the provisional resolution awarding the new Qualifications of the Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence, whose aim is to recognize, reward, and promote high level scientific research at the Spanish
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  • Artist's impression of a star pulsating in one of its hemispheres due to the gravitational attraction of a companion star. Credit: Gabriel Pérez (SMM-IAC).
    Research news
    Tidally trapped pulsations in a close binary star system
    It has long been suspected that tidal forces in close binary stars could modify the orientation of the pulsation axis of the constituent stars. Such stars have been searched for, but until now never detected. Here we report the discovery of tidally trapped pulsations in the ellipsoidal variable HD 74423 in Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) space photometry data. The system contains a Delta Scuti pulsator in a 1.6 d orbit, whose pulsation mode amplitude is strongly modulated at the orbital frequency, which can be explained if the pulsations have a much larger amplitude in one
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