A study published today in Nature Astronomy , in which a researcher from the IAC has participated, outlines the discovery of an extremely rare type of binary system composed of two high mass white dwarfs. The two stars are so close together that they will eventually collide resulting in a supernova explosion which, due to its proximity to the Earth, will appear ten times brighter than the Moon. Type 1a supernovae are a class of cosmic explosion often used as "standard candles" to measure the expansion of the Universe. They occur when a white dwarf exceeds the Chandrasekhar mass - the limit

The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) is demonstrating the quality and international relevance of the Canary Islands Observatories at the 245th session of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting being held this week in Maryland (USA). This meeting, led by the American astrophysics community, brings together the world's most important research centres in this field to share lines of work and proposals for the present and the future. The IAC delegation in Maryland is headed by the director of the centre, Valentín Martínez Pillet, who is part of the panel of speakers with a

La Fundación” la Caixa” prosigue con su compromiso con el fomento de la investigación en España a través de sus distintas convocatorias de becas. Recientemente, ha concedido 100 becas de doctorado y posdoctorado para que investigadores de excelencia desarrollen sus proyectos en universidades y centros de España y Portugal. En este sentido, refuerza los lazos con el Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) que ha recibido a dos de las cien personas becadas en estas modalidades. A través de los programas INPhINIT, dirigido a personal doctorando, y Junior Leader, enfocado en la etapa