An observationally based study, led by Martín López Corredoira, researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has found that certain very distant massive galaxies appear to be older than the limit set by standard cosmology. The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal, is based on the analysis of data recently obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope of galaxies that existed when the universe was only between 4% and 5% of its present age, according to the accepted standard model of cosmology. The researchers infer that the mean age of some of these galaxies would not be

An international scientific team, in which the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) participates, has discovered the extremely eccentric orbit of a gas giant exoplanet. This world, called TIC 241249530 b, not only follows one of the most drastically stretched-out orbits of all known transiting exoplanets, but also is also orbiting its star backwards, lending insight into the mystery of how these high-mass gas giants evolve into hot Jupiters , with very close and circular trajectories. The study is published in Nature. Within the population of known exoplanets, there are those that

Using observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international scientific team, in which the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) participates, has confirmed variations in morning and evening atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-39 b, about 700 light-years away from Earth. The research has revealed differences in temperature and atmospheric pressure, as well as indications of different cloudiness and winds that could reach thousands of miles per hour. The results are published in Nature. WASP-39 b, a giant planet with a diameter 1.3 times greater than Jupiter, but

UNDARK is a pioneering project led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) bringing together outstanding international institutions in the fields of astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics. Funded for three years via the 'Widening' programme of the European Union, its objective is to tackle one of the major puzzles of contemporary physics: the dark universe. The major part of the Cosmos is composed by the so-called “dark universe”. Barely 18% of the total matter in the universe is made up of the elements in atoms with which we are familiar, while the remaining 82%, termed