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.

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  • Inauguración Centro de Visitantes del Roque
    Press release
    The Visitor Centre at the Roque de los Muchachos and the Starmus Festival: two gateways to the Universe and to the recovery of La Palma
    The Cabildo of La Palma, the Town Council of Garafía, and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) yesterday inaugurated the Visitor Centre at the Roque de los Muchachos. Present at the ceremony were the Minister of Tourism, Reyes Maroto, and the President of the Government of the Canaries, Angel Victor Torres, among other personalities. During the first months of tests, the Visitor Centre can be visited by the population of the Island, and by tourists free of charge, so that they can enjoy and get to know at close quarters the working of this centre specialising in the scientific
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  • DES
    Press release
    Astronomers confirm the existence of a cosmic supervoid that challenges our understanding of dark energy
    Research by the Dark Energy Survey (DES) collaboration, in which the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) participates, has confirmed the presence of a supervoid, an extremely large region with a lower-than-average density of matter, in the constellation Eridanus. Its study could provide new clues to understanding the nature of dark energy. The result is published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The possibility of mapping the largest structures in the Universe has always been an aspiration of astrophysics. After the meticulous charting of our cosmic backyard
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  • GJ 367b illustration. The planet orbits around a red dwarf every 7.7 hours. Its bulk density is close to that of iron, interior structure models predict a similar structure to Mercury’s interior. (Image credit: SPP 1992 (Patricia Klein)).
    Research news
    A dense ultra-short period sub-Earth planet transiting a nearby red dwarf star
    Ultrashort-period (USP) exoplanets have orbital periods shorter than 1 day. Precise masses and radii of USP exoplanets could provide constraints on their unknown formation and evolution processes. We report the detection and characterization of the USP planet GJ 367b using high-precision photometry and radial velocity observations. GJ 367b orbits a bright (V-band magnitude of 10.2), nearby, and red (M-type) dwarf star every 7.7 hours. GJ 367b has a radius of 0.718 ± 0.054 Earth-radii and a mass of 0.546 ± 0.078 Earth-masses, making it a sub-Earth planet. The corresponding bulk density is 8
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  • ESPRESSO
    Press release
    ESPRESSO puts the physical constants to the test
    Why does gravity have the strength it has? What exactly determines the value of the electromagnetic force? Are the laws of Physics the same in any part of the universe and at any instant in time? Measurements made with the ESPRESSO high resolution spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) have permitted the determination of one of the fundamental constants of Physics when the universe was only 40% of its present age, helping to find an answer to one of these questions. The study, in which a leading group of researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) participated, is
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  • Rafael Rebolo, Diana Morant and Elena Máñez at the press conference after the IAC 2021 Governing Council.
    Press release
    Diana Morant presides over the Governing Council of the IAC
    The Minister of Science and Innovation presided, this morning, over the annual meeting of the Governing Council of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) in the IACTEC building in La Laguna. In a press conference she stressed the support of the Government for the people of La Palma, and recognized the technological and research activity of the Institute during the pandemic. As well as the minster, other attendees at the meeting were Raquel Yotti Álvarez, Secretary General for Research, Elena Máñez Rodríguez, Coucillor of the Canary Government for Economy, Knowedge and Employment
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  • M87
    Press release
    The “last breaths” in the lives of galaxies
    A team of astronomers has discovered that galaxies with an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) –hosting continuously growing black holes that emit large amounts of energy and radiation– may undergo a period of rapid star birth before shutting down completely. The research, conducted by astronomers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), the University of Southampton and the Institute of Space Sciences, ICE (IEEC- CSIC) , was published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. The Universe is filled with trillions of galaxies, each one comprising billions of stars
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