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.

  • Comparative Milky Way and ultra-diffuse galaxy
    A study by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), led by researchers Nushkia Chamba, Ignacio Trujillo and Johan H. Knapen, reveals that the enigmatic ultra-diffuse galaxies, very low-luminosity and low-density star galaxies, are similar in size to dwarf galaxies. The results, which are published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, provide new clues about the number and type of galaxies in our Universe and about the nature of dark matter.
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  • A Milky Way-like spiral galaxy, a dwarf and a faint ultra-diffuse galaxy shown to the same physical scale using images of similar depth.  On average, the diffuse galaxy is 10 times smaller than the Milky Way analogue. Credit: Adapted from Chamba, Trujillo & Knapen (2020).
    Now almost 70 years since its introduction, the effective or half-light radius has become a very popular choice for characterising galaxy size. However, the effective radius measures the concentration of light within galaxies and thus does not capture our intuitive definition of size which is related to the edge or boundary of objects. For this reason, we aim to demonstrate the undesirable consequence of using the effective radius to draw conclusions about the nature of faint ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) when compared to dwarfs and Milky Way-like galaxies. Instead of the effective radius
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  • Composición espectro LFC
    A scientific team, led by the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, with participation from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, confirms the high degree of precision of the new calibration system known as a “laser frequency comb” which could be the key to the detection of planets like the Earth. The study is published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
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  • Sandra Benítez Herrera, Ana Fragoso López, Estrella Zatón Martín and Alejandra Martín Gálvez
    With the aim of motivating interest in scientific and technological (STEM) careers among the younger girls, and to publicise the work of the women astrophysicists and engineers at the IAC, in 2017 the audiovisual series "Girls who broke a glass ceiling while looking at the sky" was initiated. The series, inspired in the project "No-Nancies" by the astrophysicist Pilar Montañés is included in the project "The return of Henrietta Leavitt: from school to a research career via the theatre", an initiative of the IAC in collaboration with the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT)
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  • (From left to right) Antonia María Varela, Antonio López González, Ana Rosa Mena, Ricardo Chico Marrero, Candelaria de la Rosa González, Eladia Mª López Lutzardo, Julián Rodríguez Pérez and Campbell Warden. Credit: Inés Bonet (IAC)
    Ana Rosa Mena, the Mayoress of Tegueste, on February 7th, visited the Headquarters of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), in La Laguna, and the Teide Observatory (OT) in Tenerife, together with several of the town councillors: Ricardo Chico Marrero, Councillor of New Technologies and Services; Antonio López González, Councillor of Culture, Sport, and Civil Protection; Julián Rodríguez Pérez, Councillor of Agriculture; Eladia María López Lutzardo, Councillor of Festivals and Ethnography; and Candelaria de la Rosa González, Councillor of Social Services. The Council was received by
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  • Poster of February 11th, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Design: Inés Bonet (IAC)
    Again this year the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) is showing its commitment to gender equality by organizing a large number of activities around February 11th, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The main aim of this day, which was declares by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2015 is: ‘to recognize the important role that women and girls play in science and technology’ In recent years the number of women in science and technology carrees has increased significnatly. In 2017 there were six countries with more women scientists and engineers than men
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