The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), through the European UNDARK project and together with CERN, has brought together international experts in cosmology, astrophysics and theoretical physics to analyse some of the discrepancies that are challenging our current understanding of the Universe. The aim is to determine whether they arise from effects in the observations that are not yet fully understood, or whether they conceal unknown physical phenomena still waiting to be discovered. We know more about the Universe than at any other time in history, and we can measure some of its
Sub-Neptunes - planets larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune - are the most common type of planet in our Galaxy, yet they are entirely absent from our own Solar System. This absence makes them a major focus for astronomers seeking to understand planetary formation and evolution. We recently conducted an international study, as part of the THIRSTEE project, to characterize two such planets orbiting very similar small, cool stars known as M dwarfs: TOI-521 and TOI-912 . THIRSTEE is an observational-based program that aims to shed light on the sub-Neptune population by providing an
SN 2021lwz: Understanding an Unusual Stellar Explosion Discovery and Initial Mystery On May 10, 2021, astronomers detected a supernova called SN 2021lwz at a distance of approximately 900 million light-years from Earth. What made this event remarkable was its unusual behavior: it combined characteristics of different supernova types in ways that didn't fit established classifications, prompting an in-depth investigation. Why This Supernova Matters Supernovae are among the most energetic events in the universe, marking the violent deaths of massive stars. They help astronomers understand