The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), through the European UNDARK project and together with CERN, has brought together international experts in cosmology, astrophysics and theoretical physics to analyse some of the discrepancies that are challenging our current understanding of the Universe. The aim is to determine whether they arise from effects in the observations that are not yet fully understood, or whether they conceal unknown physical phenomena still waiting to be discovered. We know more about the Universe than at any other time in history, and we can measure some of its

The European project led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) is featured on the cover of issue 327, the September 2026 edition of Astronomía magazine, with an extensive feature exploring the search for answers about the dark universe. We’re on the cover! And for UNDARK, this is a wonderful opportunity to bring some of the most fascinating questions in science today beyond laboratories and observatories and closer to society. Under the title “Shedding Light on the Dark Cosmos,” Astronomía dedicates its cover and an extensive eight-page feature to UNDARK ( Unravelling the Dark

After months of work, the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics (IAC) successfully concluded its scientific, outreach, and educational program in Palencia, where thousands of people enjoyed the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. The program, designed jointly by the IAC and the Palencia City Council, filled the streets and theaters throughout the province. This historic event concluded with a high turnout. Thousands of people—including locals and visitors from all over the world—packed the viewing areas set up in Palencia to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical spectacle live. The

As part of the program of initiatives that the IAC—in collaboration with the Palencia City Council and with the support of the Canary Islands Government, and as part of its NATE project—will carry out in Palencia to mark the total solar eclipse on August 12, people with visual impairments will be offered the opportunity to follow the event through the Inclusive Eclipse project of the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-ISIC). This option will be available at a designated location on the grounds of the Cristo del Otero monument. In this sound art space, anyone can enjoy the eclipse through sound