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.

  • One of the main pyramidal buildings of the central square of Caral, whose major axis is oriented parallel to the Supe river, and towards the major southern lunastice. Credit: A. César González-García (Incipit-CSIC).
    A team of researchers, led by the Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio (Incipit-CSIC) and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), in collaboration with the team from the Arqueological Zone of Caral (Perú) led by Dr. Ruth Shady Solís, has established the relation between the position of the monuments of the Supe Culture (Perú), their orientations, and some astronomical and topographic features, which opens the way to the analysis of the way the inhabitants of this valley conceived space and time 5000 years ago. The results of the study have just been published in the journal Latin
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  • Artistic recreation of a hypothetical exoplanet with artificial lights on the night side. Credit: Rafael Luis Méndez Peña/Sciworthy.com
    A researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) is the lead author of a study with proposals for “technosignatures” -evidence for the use of technology or industrial activity in other parts of the Universe- for future NASA missions. The article, published in the specialized journal Acta Astronautica, contains the initial conclusions of a meeting of experts in the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life, sponsored by the space agency to gather advice about this topic.
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  • Ilustración del 8 de marzo: Día Internacional de la Mujer. Crédito: Inés Bonet (IAC).
    “Las mujeres sostienen la mitad del cielo”, dice un proverbio chino y máxima muy presente en el Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), que un año más se suma a la celebración del 8 de Marzo, Día Internacional de la Mujer. Y lo hace con una serie de actividades que, entre otros fines, buscan reivindicar el papel de las mujeres de distintos perfiles y ámbitos -investigación, enseñanza, instrumentación, divulgación, servicios informáticos, instalaciones telescópicas y administración- que trabajan en este centro.
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  • Portada capítulo VII serie Niñas
    La serie audiovisual “Niñas que rompieron un techo de cristal mirando al cielo”, iniciada en 2017 como parte de un proyecto de género del Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), añade un capítulo más (el séptimo) con motivo del “Día Internacional de la Mujer y la Niña en la Ciencia” que se celebra hoy, 11 de febrero. Cada capítulo de la serie recoge en breves declaraciones las historias personales y profesionales de cuatro astrofísicas o ingenieras que trabajan en este centro de investigación. En los vídeos responden a tres preguntas: ¿Qué querían ser cuando eran pequeñas? ¿Qué
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  • Attendees at the 2017 11F activities in La Laguna
    For a further year the IAC is celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with activities to encourage the interest of the younger girls in scientific and technological careers. According to the report “ Women scientists in figures, 2017” the proportion of women in the total of the researchers in Spain has no trisen in the past 10 years, holding steady at 39%. But worse, at later stages in the research career this pecentage drops to 29%. In order to redress the balance on December 15th 2015 the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 11th February the
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