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.

  • The Mercator telescope and the new domes of the Marvel instrument / IAC
    The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the KU Leuven , Belgium, have amplified their framework of collaboration in astrophysical research. The two institutions have signed an agreement which gives continuity to the operations of the Mercator Telescope at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM), which started in 2002, and whose work will be strengthened by the installation of a new instrument called MARVEL (Mercator Array for Radial Velocities). Mercator is a semi-robotic telescope with a 1.2 metre primary mirror. Its name comes from that of the famous Flemish cartographer
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  • The representing of EST-FC, Manuel Collados and the director of the IAC, Valentín Martínez Pillet / Inés Bonet (IAC)
    The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the European Solar Telescope Fundación Canaria (EST-FC) have signed thos Friday October 4th the agreement to promote the construction of the European Solar Telescope (EST). This ambitious project aims to consolidate and expand the Canary Islands' position as a world leader in solar physics research. The agreement was ratified by the director of the IAC, Valentín Martínez Pillet, and the representive of EST-FC, Manuel Collados. The signing act was attended by other members involved in the project: Héctor Socas-Navarro, Alejandra Martín; and
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  • Poster of the ‘XXXV Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics’ / Gabriel Pérez (IAC)
    The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the University of La Laguna (ULL) are organizing the XXXV edition of the Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysic s which will take place between the 8 th and the 17 th of October in La Laguna,Tenerife. For this edition there will be 60 participants, including master’s and doctor’s degree students and postdocs, from thirteen different countries who will come to Tenerife to receive a complete and exhaustive view of the evolution of the galaxies. The Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysic s is a key event in the calendar of the
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  • Recreation of the landscape of the exoplanet Barnard b orbiting its star / Gabriel Pérez (IAC)
    The single star nearest to the Sun is called Barnard’s star. A team of researchers led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), has recently detected a ‘sub-Earth’ orbiting it. This exoplanet, called Barnard b has at least half the mass of Venus and orbits rapidly around its star, so that its year lasts only a little over three Earth days. This new exoplanet is sixteen times nearer to Barnard’d star than Mercury is to the Sun, and has a surface temperature close to 125oC, so it does not have liquid water on its surface. This discovery, led by the IAC in collaboration with a number
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  •  Simulation illustrating the distribution of dark matter particles expected in a low-mass galaxy if the dark matter did not collide (in orange, concentrated towards the center) versus the observed dark matter (in blue, far more dispersed) / Gabriel Pérez (IAC)
    The existence of dark matter is likely one of the most perplexing problems facing the scientific community, and unraveling its nature has become one of the primary goals of modern physics. In simple terms, we do not know what dark matter is made of, despite accounting for 85% of all the matter in the Universe. A study led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias concludes that dark matter does not behave as described by the dominant paradigm, which states that dark matter particles only interact with each other and with ordinary matter through gravity. The IAC study reveals that dark
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  • La presidenta del Cabildo de Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, entrega el título de Hija Predilecta a Adriana Lorenzo-Cáceres / Foto: Juanjo Velázquez (Cabildo de Tenerife)
    La investigadora del Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Adriana de Lorenzo-Cáceres Rodríguez, recibió este jueves 19 de septiembre el título de Hija Predilecta de la isla de Tenerife de manos de la presidenta del Cabildo insular, Rosa Dávila Mamely en un acto en el Auditorio del Tenerife donde la institución insular rindió homenaje a destacadas entidades y personalidades que han contribuido de manera excepcional al desarrollo y bienestar de la sociedad tinerfeña En el caso de Adriana de Lorenzo-Cáceres Rodríguez, el reconocimiento tiene lugar "por su labor en la Astrofísica y la defensa
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