Outreach news
'Stars and Interstellar Medium', the fifth and last video of 'IAC Researches'
28/07/2016
STARS AND INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM is the fifth of the audiovisual productions by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, with funding from the Severo Ochoa programme, in which its principal lines of research are explained. In this video the spotlight is placed on two of the main constituents of the visible matter in the Universe: the stars and the surrounding medium. >> Read More
'Cosmology and Astroparticles', fourth video of the series 'IAC Researches'
12/05/2016
COSMOLOGY AND ASTROPARTICLES is the fourth of the audiovisual productions by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias with funding from the Severo Ochoa programme. In this episode, researchers and engineers talk about two promising disciplines which aim at understanding the complete history of the Universe and the physical laws which govern it, which comprise Cosmology and Astroparticle physics. >> Read More
'Galaxies', new chapter of the 'IAC Researches' audiovisual series
15/02/2016
GALAXIES is the third chapter of an audiovisual series produced by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in which its principal lines of research are explained. In this video, researchers and engineers tell us about the key points in the study of the formation and evolution of galaxies, which are one of the main constituents of the universe. >> Read more
'Planetary Systems', second video of the 'IAC Researches' series
23/10/2015
“Planetary Systems” is the second chapter of an audiovisual series produced by the IAC in which this center explains its main research lines. In this video, scientists and engineers tell us the keys on the study of exoplanets (planets orbiting stars other than the Sun) and the small bodies (asteroids and comets) in the Solar System, an intellectual and technological unprecedented adventure which will answer questions such as: Is the Earth unique? Is there life on other planets? >> Read more
'Solar Physics', first video of the 'IAC Researches' series
31/07/2015
The IAC, Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence, has produced five videos with the aim of showing, in a clear and didactic way, its main lines of research. These audiovisual films present the scientific value of the research conducted at the center, its capacity and experience in the development of instrumentation and technology projects, and the quality of its staff. The research line 'Solar Physics' is the first to be presented. The realization of these videos has been coordinated by the Communication and Scientific Culture Unit (UC3) of the IAC, and has been sponsored by the Severo Ochoa Program. >> Read more
Training course for teachers in La Palma
28/07/2015
The "Astronomy Adventure for Teachers" Summer School, organized by the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canaries (IAC), the Interactive Nucleus of Astronomy (NUCLIO, Portugal) and the National Schools' Observatory (NSO, Liverpool John Moores University, UK), took place in La Palma last week. The school was attended by 13 teachers from the Canary Islands, UK and Portugal, who have participated in educational projects of the IAC and in the European project Open Discovery Space. >> Read more
"EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE with the IAC" travels to Gran Canaria
16/04/2015
To commemorate the 30 years since the official inauguration of the Canary Island Observatories, and as done last February 25th in the Teatro Leal of La Laguna, on Wednesday April 15th a living exhibition of science popularization was celebrated in the Guiniguada Theatre (Teatro Guiniguada) of Las Palmas. This event, entitled "Exploring the Universe", has the aim of bringing the science and instrumentation developed at the IAC to young canaries (in a morning session) and to the general public (evening). It consisted of a series of brief interventions by IAC researchers, including Rafael Rebolo (Director of the IAC), Jose A. Rubiño (formerly Advanced SO Fellow), Alfred Rosenberg, Enric Pallé, Cristina Ramos, Héctor Socas, and Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio (science communicator of the SO program).
The SolarLab II Teacher Training is completed
14/04/2015
The XIV (and last) Teacher Training Course of the SolarLab project was held on April 13 at the IAC Center for Astrophysics of La Palma (CALP), Breña Baja, on the island of La Palma. The two editions of this project, which is supported by the Severo Ochoa Program, involved a total of 308 teachers of the seven Canary Islands, which have expanded their knowledge of the Sun, Astrophysics in general, the specific scientific instrumentation that astronomers use (the telescopes), and about obtaining and working with astronomical images. >> Further information (in Spanish)
Outreach activities during the solar eclipse on March 20
23/03/2015
The IAC participated in a number of outreach activities related to past solar eclipse (Friday 20 March 2015). A group of astrophysicists and solar physicists from the IAC, among them SO pre- and post-doctoral researchers, collaborated with the Museum of Science and the Cosmos (MCC) of the Museums of Tenerife, in public activities related to observations of the eclipse, which were organized at the roof terrace of the museum between 07.45 a.m. and 09. 38 a.m. local time, the times when the partial eclipse began and ended when viewed from the Canaries. Although clouds ruled out observing the eclipse for all but a few seconds, more than 400 visitors could attend lecture-workshops about how eclipses are produced, and made direct connection with the web platforms which were transmitting the total eclipse from the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, and from the Svalbard Islands (in the frozen Arctic ocean). >> Further information
"EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE with the IAC" arrived at Teatro Leal
26/02/2015
A scientific outreach event entitled "Exploring the Universe" took place yesterday at Teatro Leal of La Laguna, with the aim of bringing the science and instrumentation developed at the IAC to young canaries (in a morning session) and to the general public (evening). The event consisted of a series of brief interventions by IAC researchers, including Rafael Rebolo (Director of the IAC), Jose A. Rubiño (formerly Advanced SO Fellow), and Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio (science communicator of the SO program) among others, who presented the main research areas of the IAC, its contributions in the different fields of Astrophysics and the present and future instrumentation in the Canarian Observatories. This was the first public act performed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the official opening of the Canarian Observatories and IAC headquarters in La Laguna.
The IAC in the Canary Islands Innovation Forum (fi2)
22/01/2015
The IAC participates in the largest forum for innovation in Canary Islands: “fi2”, an event organized by the Cabildo Insular de Tenerife via the TF Innova Program and the Science and Technology Park in Tenerife. This forum, which is open to the public, will take place on 22 and 23 January in Tenerife Espacio de las Artes (TEA), in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In "fi2" the IAC will present its research and technological development in Astrophysics, as well as its facilities and equipment available to carry them out. Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio, science communicator of the SO program, participates in the IAC's information stand. Further information: http://www.pctt.es/fi2/
The IAC in the Science Weeks 2014
01/12/2014
Last November, IAC researchers, science communicators and collaborators participated in the "Miniferias" of Science and Innovation, held in Gran Canaria and Tenerife, with activities that seek to bring Astronomy to the Canarian society and especially to young people. Various workshops, such as "Live observation of the solar spectrum", "Observing the Sun with an H-alpha telescope" or "The Electromagnetic Spectrum and telescopes", were performed. There were also informative talks, including "Cosmology for everyone", in which the SO PhD student David Aguado explained what Cosmology is, where black holes come from and what is the dark energy, among other astronomical questions.
Second Edition of the SolarLab Project
16/10/2014
The second edition of the SolarLab project is underway. On October 1, 3 and 15 training courses for teachers were given in Tenerife (Museum of Science and the Cosmos), Gran Canaria (Elder Museum of the Science and Technology) and Fuerteventura (Center for Teachers of Puerto del Rosario), respectively, involving a total of 128 teachers. In addition, the three solar telescopes of the project are already doing their job of showing the secrets of our star, the Sun, to Canarian schoolchildren. This year edition is expected to reach a total of 320 teachers trained in 143 centres of all the Canary Islands and approximately 80,000 students aged 12-18 will observe the Sun live. >> More information
SolarLab project celebrates its first year
06/06/2014
SolarLab has celebrated its first year with a two-days-activity program (June 4-5, 2014) for the prizewinners of the competition “Canarians under the same sky”. The 45 prizewinners (36 students and 9 teachers), who came from the 7 Canary Islands, were selected based on the videos they presented to show the work and activities they performed as part of the project. >> Read more
Solar observation at Museo de la Ciencia y el Cosmos
16/05/2014
On the occasion of the International Museum Day 2014, the IAC has collaborated with the Museo de la Ciencia y el Cosmos, of Museos de Tenerife, in a solar observation live activity. In addition to using a special telescope and filter to observe the structures in the outer layers of the Sun, attendees learn how to build their own solar telescope at no cost, measure the distance that separates us from our star, and participate in the reproduction of the Solar System to scale. All this accompanied by explanations of IAC solar physicists and an exhibition panel specifically designed for this activity. >> More information (in Spanish)
Mª Dolores Rodríguez Frías public outreach talk.
11/04/2014
The Severo Ochoa visiting proffessor Mª Dolores Rodríguez Frías gave a public talk entitled "Cosmic Radiation: messenger of the primal and unknown universe" on April 10th at the Casino de La Laguna (Tenerife). Dr. Rodríguez Frías presented the EUSO (Extreme Universe Space Observatory) mission, the first space mission in Astroparticle Physics, to be located in the International Space Station (ISS). This space mission will detect the higher energy range ever observed from space.
SolarLab Project.
10/03/2014
SOLARLAB has already successfully trained 128 teachers on the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera and Lanzarote. It has gone through 60 educational centers reaching approximately 30.000 students. Next month the project will move from Lanzarote to Fuerteventura. Additionally, SolarLab will participate in outreach activities using their solar telescopes at public events held during weekends. The first students scientific results (solar images) are now available. >>Read more
IAC at the 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society
10/01/2014
Representatives of the IAC were present at the 223rd meeting of the AAS (January 5-9 in Washington DC, U.S.A.). The IAC stand offered information about the Institute to the participants at the scientific meeting, distributing pamphlets which described the job opportunities for researchers, as well as a description of the Teide and Roque de los Muchachos observatories. The stand displayed 3D videos about the IAC, the observatories, the GTC, and the sky of the Canary Islands.
IAC present at the Science Week 2013
01/12/2013
Last November, Severo Ochoa researchers and technical staff from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) participated in the Science Week to bring astronomy to the public in the form of multiple activities, workshops and talks on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. The aim of the Science Week was to promote the relevance of science, technology, engineering and maths in our everyday lives and to demonstrate their importance to the future development of Spanish society and to the economy. Download the detailed programme.
