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.

  • European Solar Telescope (EST). Credit: Gabriel Pérez Díaz, SMM (IAC)

    The International Scientific Committee (CCI for its initials in Spanish) of the Canary Observatories has given the go-ahead for the siting of the installation of the European Solar Telescope (EST) at the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory (Garafía, La Palma). The decision, taken at the first of the biannual meetings of the Committee, held virtually, implies the construction of the largest European infrastructure dedicated to solar observations, and the strengthening of the position of the Canaries as the place with the largest concentration of solar telescopes in the world.

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  • Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) on February 27th 2020

    A recent study analyses data collected at 44 of the darkest places in the world, including the Canary Island Observatories, to develop the first complete reference method to measure the natural brightness of the night sky using low-cost photometers. Of the 44 photometers in the survey, the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Garafía, La Palma, Canary Islands) stands out at the darkest of all the skies analysed. The night sky is not completely dark; even in the remotest places there is a glow in the sky produced by natural components, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial, and by artificial

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  • Geminids on the Teide Observatory

    This astronomical event will be broadcast live in the early hours of January 3rd from the Canary Observatories, via the sky-live.tv channel, with the collaboration of the European Project Interreg EELabs and the Innovation Service of the Cabildo of the Island of La Palma. After the impressive data of the activity of the 2020 Geminids (the last major meteor shower of the year) the expectations for the Quadrantids are very high, even though this time the Moon will make it hard to see the fainter meteors. Usually the Geminids and the Quadrantids show activity approaching 100 meteors per hour

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  • Composition of the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn , with the Moon. Credit: Daniel López and Alfred Rosenberg/IAC

    The astronomical event of the year took place on December 21st, a very close conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn which was broadcast on Internet in the channel of astronomical events Sky Live TV and the Cultural Section of Astronomy Cassiopeia of the University of La Laguno on the 20th and 21st from the Teide Observatory. Images and videos of the conjunction were taken, and they are detailed in this press release.

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  • Geminids on the Teide Observatory

    During the nights of 12th and 13th of December we will enjoy the peak of the Geminid meteor shower. This will be broadcast live from the Teide Observatory (Tenerife) and from the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory ( La Palma) via the sky-live.tv channel, with the collaboration with the Energy Efficiency Labs (EELabs project of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Programme of Astronomical Outreach of SODEPAL and the Innovation Service of the Cabildo Insular of La Palma. During the past decade the Geminids have always bid farewell to the year by producing over 100 meteors

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  • Delegation from the Tourism Summit at the Gran Telescopio Canarias

    A delegation made up of political authorities and representatives of some of the institutions taking part today in the world summit Setting the Recovery of International Tourism into Action taking place in La Palma yesterday visited the instalations of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM) where they could see at first hand some of the telescopes and the science which is carried out there.

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