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.

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  • Research news
    The relic galaxy NGC 1277 lacks dark matter
    The standard cosmological model states that massive galaxies contain a large fraction of dark matter. Dark matter is a transparent substance that does not interact through regular baryonic matter and is only detected through its gravitational pull over the stars and the gas. NGC 1277 is known as the prototype of a relic galaxy, that is, a galaxy that has not accreted other galaxies since it formed. Relic galaxies are extremely rare and are the untouched remains of the giant galaxies that populated the early Universe. Since relic galaxies are very important to understand the conditions in the
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  • Sahrawi children from the "Vacaciones en Paz" 2023 edition and their host families in Tenerife at IAC headquarters
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    Astronomy day with Saharawi children and their host families on Tenerife
    This Tuesday, 22 August, the Science Communication and Outreach Unit (UC3) of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Asociación Canaria de Amistad con el Pueblo Saharaui (ACAPS), in collaboration with the Museo de la Ciencia y el Cosmos (MCC, Museos de Tenerife), organised a day of outreach activities as part of the " Vacaciones en Paz" (Holidays in Peace) programme and the Amanar project. Saharawi children and their host families in Tenerife, a total of 28 participants, enjoyed talks and workshops on astronomy, solar observations and guided tours at the MCC, as well as
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  • Sergio Rodríguez at ORM
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    The president of the Cabildo de La Palma visits the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory
    The president of the La Palma Island Council, Sergio Rodríguez Fernández, visited the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Garafía, La Palma), accompanied by the third vice-president and councillor for Tourism, Raquel Rebollo Morera, and the councillor for Culture, Heritage and Crafts, Pablo Díaz Cobiella. The visit was attended by the Director of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Rafael Rebolo, the Director of the Gran Telescopio de Canarias (GTC or Grantecan), Romano Corradi, and the Observatory Manager (ORM), Emilio García. During this meeting, they visited the GTC, the
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  • Teresa Ribera at the Teide Observatory
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    Teresa Ribera visits the Teide Observatory to assess the effects of the fire
    The third vice-president and acting minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, the government delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, and the president of the Tenerife Island Council, Rosa Dávila, visited the Teide Observatory (OT) to receive information on the state of the facilities after the fire suffered last Sunday. The visit was attended by the director of the IAC, Rafael Rebolo, the head of telescopic operations, Álex Oscoz, and the head of instrumentation maintenance, Héctor Quintero. During the visit they checked that the fire did not cause any damage to the
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  • Logo of the IAC
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    IAC communiqué on the Izaña Fire
    The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) informs that the terrible fire in Tenerife has been prevented from damaging the infrastructures of the Observatorio del Teide (OT). On 20 August, at about 15.00 hours, the fire that is ravaging Tenerife entered the OT through the watercourse bordering the Meteorological Observatory. The fire-fighting teams, which had been deployed in the area in anticipation of what might happen, reacted immediately and, although the fire progressed rapidly towards the Themis and Stella telescopes, damage to the facilities was avoided thanks to the intervention
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