H II regions are ionized nebulae associated with the formation of massive stars. They exhibit a wealth of emission lines in their spectra that form the basis for estimation of chemical composition. The amount of heavy chemical elements is essential to the understanding of important phenomena such as nucleosynthesis, star formation and chemical evolution of galaxies. For over 80 years, however, a discrepancy exists of a factor of around two between heavy-element abundances (the so-called metallicity) derived from the two main kinds of emission lines that can be measured in nebular spectra

The editorial Springer is publishing the book “Astronomy of Ancient Egypt: A Cultural Perspective” by the researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) Juan Antonio Belmonte, and the egyptologist from the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB) Josep Lull. The book analyzes and synthesizes the collected research during the last two hundred years about the cosmogony and the cosmovision of ancient Egypt, together with up to date research. The book will be presented in a panel discussion on Friday June 30th at 18:00 h in the Museum of Science and the Cosmos (MCC) of Tenerife, in

The Director of the Starlight Foundation, and researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias Antonia M. Varela Pérez has contributed to a monographic edition of the prestigious journal Science dedicated to light pollution and its consequences. The starry sky has been a source of inspiration throughout human history. Astronomy has been a common element in all cultures and civilizations, and has been used to establish calendars, to navigate and discover new lands, and to drive many scientific and technical advances. The article “The increasing effects of light pollution on professional