The XV Science and Innovation Weeks in the Canaries have ended

26/11/2019 
The IAC has participated, with a number of activities, in the Science and Innovation Weeks organized by the Canary Agency of Research, Innovation, and the Information Society (ACIISI) of the Government of the Canaries, in this way making a contribution to the popularization of science and technology in the society of the islands. The "Minferias" on Tenerife (6th, 7th and 8th November) and La Palma (18th and 19th November) had an IAC stand where astrophysicists from the centre gave talks and workshops aimed at students from different educational levels, from 5th grade of primary school to high school and vocational training, and also at the general public. In addition, on 20th, 21st and 22nd November, ten talks-workshops were held at secondary schools on La Palma >> Read more.

Sharing the experience of "Talk to Them: Women in Astronomy"

10/10/2019
The Press and Outreach Unit of the IAC has participated in the VII Congress of Social Communication of Science (Burgos) presenting some of its activities and projects. Nayra Rodríguez, astrophysicist and outreach officer of the Severo Ochoa program at the IAC, presented the project "Habla con Ellas: Mujeres en Astronomía", which aims to create new female references in science, engineering and technology and to promote interest in these areas among students. This initiative has reached more than 1,000 students from 8 Spanish Autonomous Communities in this first edition, which has been developed from February to June.

The IAC participated in MACARONIGHT 2019

30/09/2019
The IAC and the Observatories of the Canary Islands participated in the "European Researchers' Night" with several activities for school and general public. In the morning, the outreach officer of the Severo Ochoa program Nayra Rodríguez and the researcher Begoña García participated in the Muestra de Documental Científico LL es ciencia, which took place at the Faculty of Education of the ULL, presenting the audiovisual series "Niñas que rompieron un techo de cristal mirando al cielo" (Girls who broke a glass ceiling looking at the sky). In the afternoon, the Macaronesia Astrophysics Marathon took place, with live broadcasts through the YouTube channel -IAC Videos- from different telescopes at the Teide and Roque de los Muchachos Observatories. >> More information

Teachers from five countries embark on a new astronomical adventure in the Canaries

16/07/2019 
From 15th to 19th June 2019 the headquarters of the IAC, and the Guajara lecture theatres of the University of La Laguna will host the V International Summer Course “Astronomy Adventure in the Canary Islands", whose aim is to convey the passion for astrophysics, and to give secondary school teachers the knowledge and resources relevant to astronomy so that they can use them in the classroom, and can give a more practical and stimulating scientific and technical education to their students. In this edition the theme is “ The Message of Light” which is the leitmotiv of the lectures and workshops which have a highly participative style. During the course the teachers wil learn, via active experiment-based practice, collaborative workingk and a multidisciplinary approach, the way we use light to understand the universe. The training also includes the use of a variety of tools and educational technology, such as robotic telescopes, on-line laboratories, and access to the data bases of scientific archives. Activites outside the lectura room included in the programme are a training visit to the Teide Observatory (Tenerife) and an optional visit to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory ( La Palma). >> Read more

Celebrating the International Day of Light with Garafía

17/05/2019
On the occasion of the celebration of the International Day of Light, the Cherenkov Telescope Network (CTA) and the IAC held a day of scientific dissemination in the Villa de Garafía, municipality that houses the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM). In the morning, the students of CEIP Santo Domingo visited the ORM facilities and carried out workshops and games on the different types of light emitted by celestial objects and captured by the different telescopes. In the afternoon, in the auditorium of the Casa de la Cultura de Santo Domingo de Garafía, the astrophysicist and outreach and education coordinator of the CTA Observatory, Alba Fernández Barral, gave a public talk entitled "CTA: Not just another telescope". >> More information

New IAC project “Talk to them: Women in Astronomy”

05/02/2019 
This year, the calendar of activities by which the IAC is participating in the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and International Women’s Day stretches from the end of January until March, and includes lectures and workshops, both live and virtual, in educational centres as well as initiatives aimed at the general public. 

February 11th will see the start of the project “Talk to them: Women in Astronomy” which will consist in the production of videoconferences with schools by women astrophysicists and engineers of the IAC who will explain their work, talk about their fields of research, and answer questions from the students and scientific and technological careers, and about the Universe, and the methods which are used to get to know it better. The activity is aimed at Spanish educational centres and is coordinated by the astrophysicist and science communicator of the Severo Ochoa program at the IAC, Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio. >> Read more

Award for the audiovisual series "IAC Investiga"

19/11/2018
The audiovisual series "IAC investiga", produced by the IAC, through its Communication and Scientific Culture Unit (UC3), with funding from the Severo Ochoa program, has received the award for the best scientific audiovisual work in the Research category, Development and innovation category (R + D + i) in the XXIX edition of the International Biennial of Scientific Cinema BICC 2018 Ronda-Madrid-México. >> Read more

The IAC participates in 100xCiencia.3 "Bridging Science and Society"

16/11/2018
Representatives of the research centers belonging to SOMMa met yesterday, November 15, at the National Center for Oncological Research (CNIO) to celebrate the Congress 100xCiencia.3: Bridging science and society. In this third edition, the conference focused on the importance of science education and society's participation in science. Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio, astrophysicist and science communicator of the Severo Ochoa program, presented "PETeR, robots looking at the sky", an educational project of the IAC that dedicates some observing time with professional robotic telescopes to educational activities and e-science projects aimed at students. 

The IAC will participate in the Science Fair of La Orotava with the Alisios Mission 1

09/11/2018
IACTec Espacio has led the design and construction of the instrument that will be launched by a stratospheric balloon this Sunday, November 11, from the Plaza de la Constitución of the northern municipality. From the moment it starts his ascent, it will transmit high definition images that can be seen live. >> More information

Astronomy returns to the Canary classrooms

18/10/2018 
The IAC and the Department of Education and Universities of the Government of the Canaries are collaborating in various training activities for Canarian teachers, which will be set in action in the coming weeks. The aim of these activities is to spread knowledge about the quality and the astronomical possibilities of our sky among the school students in the Islands, and in the educational community in general, while at the same time encouraging scientific and technological vocations in this field. The collaboration includes training within PETeR, an educational project of the IAC which allows students and teachers to observe the universe and develop their own scientific research with the same tools as those used by the international scientific community: professional robotic telescopes.  >> Read more

A date with Science in Macaronesia

27/09/2018
Two countries, four islands, and five organization have united this year to produce the MacaroNight project, which bridges the islands of Macaronesia. This joint, simultaneous event is designed to spread information about the science culture being developed in the islands, and to stimulate scientific careers. The IAC will participate in this initiative with workshops for observing the Sun, night-time observing, and learning about the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as presenting an audio-visual in the Scientific Documentary Exhibition, and with about twenty talks that will address the five areas of research carried out at the Institute. >> More information

IV International Summer Course "Astronomy Adventure in the Canary Islands"

31/08/2018 
The headquarters of the IAC, in La Laguna, hosts this week the IV edition of the International Summer Course "Astronomy Adventure in the Canary Islands" in which 30 teachers from 6 countries participate. The training is organized by the IAC in the framework of its educational project "PETeR, robots looking at the sky", and it includes lectures and practical workshops on Astronomy, science education based on active learning, the multidisciplinary approach, educational resources and the use of robotic telescopes to develop scientific projects in the schools. >> Read more

The IAC's educational and outreach projects at CAP2018

02/04/2018
Carmen del Puerto, head of the Outreach and Press Unit of the IAC, and Nayra Rodríguez, outreach officer of the Severo Ochoa Program, participated last week in the IAU international congress "Communicating Astronomy with the Public" 2018, in Japan, with the talks "In a place in the Universe... and other transversal projects of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias" and "Robots looking at the sky: opening professional telescopes to students", respectively. 

Special issue “Women in Astronomy”

08/03/2018 
The most recent edition of "Paralajes" magazine, of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence, deals with the role of women in astronomy, picking out important figures in the history of this science until the present day, with special emphasis on the women scientists and engineers working in the IAC projects. This magazine is part of the project "The return of Henrietta Leavitt", an IAC initiative with the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) collaboration. >> Read more

The splendour of the Seven Sisters

21/09/2017
This picture of the Periades star cluster is the fifth photograh taken with the astrograph of the Unit of Communication and Scientific Culture (UC3) of the IAC, at the Teide Observatory, as an element of the Project “NIÉPCE: from the negative to the positive”, which will be an element of the exhibition “100 square moons” >> Read more

“The return of Henrietta Leavitt”

21/08/2017
“The return of Henrietta Leavitt, from school to a researcher career, via the Theatre” is an initiative of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) with the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT). The project includes a set of free activities of science popularization which will start with a re-run of the multimedia play The Lost Honour of Henrietta Leavitt. The performances will take place from October 20th to 27th in the Municipal Auditorium Capitol of Tacoronte, and in the Teatro Leal of La Laguna. The project count on the collaboration of the City Councils of both of these municipalities, the Faculty of Sciences of University of La Laguna (ULL) and the Regional Education and Universities Department of the Canarian Goverment. >> Read more

The colorful heart of the Scorpion

06/06/2017
This photograph, obtained with the remote astrograph of the Communication and Scientific Culture Unit of the IAC in the framework of the Project "NIÉPCE: from negative to positive", shows the beautiful color palette of the central region of this constellation.>> Read More

The Spaghetti Nebula, a new image by the IAC’s remote astrograph

19/05/2017
The remnant of this huge supernova, chosen as Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) by NASA, is the third photograph taken with this telescope within the NIÉPCE Project. >> Read more

M81 and M82, between dust and gas of the Milky Way

06/03/2017
New astronomical image obtained with the "Cosmic Photomatón" of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, in the framework of the project "NIÉPCE: from negative to positive", which pays homage to the Photography. >> Read more

'Astrophysical Instrumentation', an audiovisual tour of the technology and engineering developed at the IAC

16/02/2017
Astrophysics is one of the areas of knowledge in which advances in investigation and research are most closely intertwined. To reach further out to detect fainter and fainter objects, and to disentangle their properties are the motives for developing bigger and bigger telescopes, and more and more powerful instruments. The IAC, a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence, has produced a new video - ASTROPHYSICAL INSTRUMENTATION- with the aim of showing how we meet the technical challenges presented by this science. >> Read more