One of the biggest recent surprises in astronomy is the discovery that most stars like the Sun harbor a planet between the size of Earth and Neptune within the orbit of Mercury — sizes and orbits absent from our solar system. These ‘ super-Earths' and ` sub-Neptunes’ are the galaxy's most common planets, but their formation has been shrouded in mystery. Now, an international team of astronomers has found a crucial missing link. By weighing four newborn planets in the V1298 Tau system, they've captured a rare snapshot of worlds in the process of transforming into the galaxy's most common
The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has been honoured with the Canary Islands Diamond Award in the category of Business and Economic Innovation, a distinction granted by Canal 4 Tenerife as part of the first edition of these awards on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. The recognition is bestowed “in acknowledgement of its scientific excellence and its international projection from the Canary Islands” and highlights the IAC’s contribution to the development of a knowledge-based economy in the Archipelago. The IAC was selected as the winner following a jury evaluation process
The members of the Comité Científico Internacional (CCI) of the Canary Islands Observatories met today on the island of La Palma. The ISC is the body established in the International Agreements that gave rise to the Canary Islands Observatories managed by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and guarantees the effective participation of the User Institutions in decision-making regarding their use, maintenance and improvement. The meeting, held at the Hotel H10 Taburiente Playa, began with a minute's silence in memory of Professor Francisco Sánchez, founder of the IAC, whose legacy
