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.

  • Image of an area of the Euclid Deep Field South showing several huge galactic clusters, as well as intracluster light and gravitational lensing.
    The European Space Agency’s Euclid mission released its first batch of survey data, including a preview of its deep fields. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms in combination with citizen science campaigns, the Euclid Consortium scientific results include the discovery of strong gravitational lensing systems, the exploration of galaxy clusters and the cosmic web, the characterisation of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and quasars, studies on galaxy evolution and morphology, and the identification of numerous dwarf galaxies and transients. Spain has an important role in the Euclid
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  • Artist's impression of GJ 3998 d, a super-Earth in the habitable zone of its star
    An international team, led by a student from Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), has detected a super-Earth orbiting in the habitable zone of GJ 3998, a nearby red dwarf located 59 ly away. The new planet, named GJ 3998 d, is the third planet found in the system. ‘GJ 3998 d is a welcome addition to the planetary census of our cosmic neighbourhood’, states Atanas Stefanov, a "La Caixa" funded PhD student at the IAC and the University of La Laguna (ULL) and the study’s lead author, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics . 'This super-Earth appears to be in the habitable zone of one of
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  • La ministra de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades ha presidido este jueves en el CaixaForum el acto de reconocimiento de las Acreditaciones Severo Ochoa y María de Maeztu, que concede el Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU), a través de la Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), a centros y unidades de investigación de excelencia.
    The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) participated, during the afternoon of September 5th, in the awarding of the qualifications Severo Ochoa and María de Maeztu, offered by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) via the National Agency for Research (AEI) to centres and research units of excellence in our country. For the IAC this qualification refers to the period 2020-2024, and was received by the outgoing Director, Rafael Rebolo, who was accompanied by the Director Valentín Martínez Pillet and by the project manager Dahimar Sánchez.
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  • Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio, director of the AEACI, welcomes the participants of the school
    Yesterday saw the start of the 10th International School Astronomy Education Adventure in the Canary Islands (AEACI 2024) which will be celebrated during the full week in the IACTEC building in La Laguna (Tenerife), and which 65 teachers from 23 countries are attending. This school, organized by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) together with other scientific and educational institutions, has reached its tenth anniversary, and has given training in the teaching of astronomy to 600 teachers from all over the world. With the title “Explore the Universe with us” the AEACI 2024 has
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  • Artist’s impression of TIC 241249530 b
    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
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  • Artist’s concept of WASP-39 b
    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
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