Scientists have discovered a new ring system around a dwarf planet on the edge of the Solar System. The ring system orbits much further out than is typical for other ring systems, calling into question current theories of how ring systems are formed. The discovery, published in Nature, was made possible thanks to the HiPERCAM instrument on the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma. A system of rings has been discovered around the dwarf planet Quaoar which is approximately half the size of Pluto and orbits the Sun beyond Neptune. The discovery

Some 40 women astronomers, engineers and technologists from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), from IACTEC and from other collaborating institutions are taking part in around ten initiatives to raise awareness of the important contribution of women in Science and to stimulate the interest of girls in scientific and technological careers. The activities are part of the celebrations of 11F, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and they will extend from February till June. Even though the percentage of women in scientific and technical careers has grown in recent

From 13th to 17th of February, in IACTEC, the technical collaboration zone of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, the first scientific meeting of the Laboratory for Innovation in Optomechanics (LIOM) is taking place. This is a project for the development of new optical and mechanical technology which will form part of the next generaton of telescopes, such as the ExoLife Finder (ELF), aimed at the search for life outside the Solar System. The meeting has brought together 30 specialists in optics and photonics from Europe, Canada, and the United States. During the course of this week

The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) in collaboration with the ESPRESSO consortium, has organized a conference in Lanzarote to review the current state of research carried out with the ESPRESSO instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the European Southern Observatory (ESO). From 7th to 10th February, at Costa Teguise (Lanzarote, Spain) the “ESPRESSO Science Team Meeting 2023” was held. This conference, organized by the IAC, was aimed at reviewing the current status of the science carried out with the observations which used the guaranteed time on the ESPRESSO spectrograph

With deep sadness we are are sorry to report the death of our colleague María Concepción (Itxiar) Anguita Fontecha, outreach astronomer in the Unit of Communication and Scientific Culture (UC3) and Coordinator of the external web of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC). Itxiar, with a degree in Mathematical Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid, specializing in Astonomy and Geodesy, and with a great interest in science education and outreach, travelled from her native Madrid in 1997, accompanied by her beloved daughter Tristana, to join the Cabinet of the Director of