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.
There is a force hidden deep inside galaxies: magnetic fields. Invisible to conventional telescopes, they are a factor in galaxy evolution, regulating the formation of new stars and helping to drive intragalatic gas towards their central supermassive black hole.
The National Academy of Science of the United States presented, yesterday afternoon, its report Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s, a decadal study which identifies priorities for research and makes recommendations for future investment in scientific projects for the next ten years. Among its conclusions the report specifies the Programme of Extremely Large Telescopes (ELT) as a priority for ground-based astronomy, and stresses the need to invest in at least one of the projects proposed for this type of telescopes, among them the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)
Spanish Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, visited last Wednesday the Centre for Astrophysics’ facilities in La Palma (CALP) to know the impact of the volcanic eruption on the personnel and on the operation of the facilities at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Garafía, La Palma). During her visit, she held a meeting with IAC Director Rafael Rebolo, which was also attended by the Director of the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), Romano Corradi, and the ORM Site Manager, Juan Carlos Pérez Arencibia. Accompanying the Minister were the General Secretary of Research, Raquel
One of the most interesting questions for astrophysicists for the past few decades is how and when did the first galaxies form. One of the possible answers to “how” is that star formation in the first galaxies took place at a steady rate, building up a system with increasing mass. Another possibility is that the formation was more violent and discontinuous, with intense bursts of star formation, on short timescales, triggered by events such as galaxy mergers and strong concentrations of gas.
The first Vice-president and minister for Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, announced yesterday in La Palma her support for the project to improve the fibre optic connectivity of the island, with a planned investment of around 40 million euros from the European Union’s Recovery Plan. The Vice-president of the Government Nadia Calviño, said “We are working to improve the fibre optic connectivity of La Palma, by investing a part of the European funds. It is a matter of reinforcing the role of the Canaries as one of the hubs of intercontinental connectivity and our aim
The International Scientific Committee (CCI) of the Observatories of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has held recently its annual autumn meeting in La Palma and wants to express its solidarity with the people of La Palma during these trying times. The CCI is the international board of the institutions present at the observatories in the Canary Islands. For all the national and international research institutions and universities that are represented in this Committee, and especially those who have telescopes and other scientific installations at the Observatorio del Roque de
