How large can a galaxy grow? This is the question behind a new study led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), in which an international team of astronomers has measured, with unprecedented precision, the size of IC 1101, considered the largest known galaxy in the Universe. The study has been published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. The result confirms that this cosmic giant is even larger than previously thought. The main body of IC 1101 reaches a diameter of around 1.7 million light-years, approximately 10 times the size of the Milky Way. If it were placed between our galaxy and

Nicolas Lodieu, a scientist working on the SELF project at the Laboratory for Innovation in Optomechanics (LIOM), presented the progress made on this experimental telescope at the international CHASES 2026 conference. SELF is designed to validate technologies for the direct observation of worlds beyond the Solar System. The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has presented the progress made on the SELF (Small ExoLife Finder) telescope at the international Charting the Future of Stellar and Exoplanet Spectroscopy (CHASES 2026) conference. SELF is a technological prototype developed to

A meeting brought together scientists, technologists and institutional representatives to present the latest developments in the La Palma Quantum Interferometer (LPQI) project, outline its next steps and analyse the potential of quantum technologies to drive science, innovation and sustainable development on La Palma. As part of the La Palma Quantum Interferometer (LPQI) project, scientists, technologists and institutional representatives met from 8 to 10 September at IACTEC in La Laguna (Tenerife) to hold the LPQI Workshop 2026, an event at which the latest advances were presented and the

UNDARK continues its programme of scientific activities with a new workshop bringing together researchers to discuss some of the key questions at the frontiers of cosmology, astrophysics, and particle physics. The meeting provides a space for scientific exchange and discussion around the fundamental challenges involved in understanding the dark Universe, from the nature of dark matter and dark energy to their implications for our current picture of the cosmos. The opening day featured contributions from Alicia and Daniela, whose presentations introduced different perspectives and research

An international study led by researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) reports the first secure detection of the methyl radical (CH₃) in the environment of an evolved, carbon-rich star. The molecule was found with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in SMP LMC 011, a dying star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and points to an unexpected way of building the carbon molecules that seed the Universe with organic material. The results are published in the prestigious journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters . The methyl radical, CH₃, is one of the simplest and most