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.

  • Image of supercluster Cygnus OB2. Source: IPHAS / Spitzer / Nick Wright (CfA).
    In order to fully understand the gravitational collapse of molecular clouds, the star formation process, and the evolution of circumstellar disks, these phenomena must be studied in different Galactic environments with a range of stellar contents and positions in the Galaxy. The young massive association Cygnus OB2, in the Cygnus-X region, is a unique target to study how star formation and the evolution of circumstellar disks proceed in the presence of a large number of massive stars. We present a catalog obtained with recent optical observations in the r, i, z filters with OSIRIS, mounted
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  • K-band nuclear spectra of LLAGN extracted from our SINFONI data in r = 0.3” apertures. The prominent emission lines are from H2 (marked at the top of the figure), the strongest being 1-0 S(1) at 2.12 μm. Several stellar absorption features (like the 12CO
    We present observations of the molecular gas in the nuclear environment of three prototypical low luminosity AGN (LLAGN), based on VLT/SINFONI AO-assisted integral-field spectroscopy of H 2 1-0 S(1) emission at angular resolutions of ~0.17”. On scales of 50-150 pc the spatial distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas are consistent with a rotating thin disk, where the ratio of rotation ( V) to dispersion (σ) exceeds unity. However, in the central 50 pc, the observations reveal a geometrically and optically thick structure of molecular gas ( V / σ < 1 and N H > 10 23 cm -2) that is
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  • In this work, the planetary system of the planet-host star 55Cnc has been studied. In this system, there is an Earth-like planet that shows a chemical composition very different from that of the Earth.
    Simulations have shown that a diverse range of extrasolar terrestrial planet bulk compositions are likely to exist based on the observed variations in host star elemental abundances. Based on recent studies, it is expected that a significant proportion of host stars may have Mg/Si ratios below 1. Here we examine this previously neglected group of systems. Planets simulated as forming within these systems are found to be Mg-depleted (compared to Earth), consisting of silicate species such as pyroxene and various feldspars. Planetary carbon abundances also vary in accordance with the host star
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  • OCAM 2 cuadriplica la resolución y multiplica por tres la velocidad de instrumentos similares. Con este dispositivo, que se unirá al sistema óptico adaptativo del GTC, el mayor telescopio del mundo podrá vencer las turbulencias de la atmósfera terrestre y obtener imágenes con una nitidez similar a la del telescopio espacial Hubble.
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