The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) has confirmed the discovery of a super-Earth orbiting in the habitable zone of HD 20794, a nearby Sun-like star. This discovery, the result of over two decades of observations, opens a window to future studies of Earth-like planetary atmospheres. The search for planets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars is crucial for understanding the possibility of life beyond Earth and for studying conditions similar to those that enabled the development of life on our own planet. In this context, HD 20794, a star

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 IAC's Educational Project with Robotic Telescopes (PETeR) offers a new edition of its online teacher training entitled ‘ Investigate the Universe with Robotic Telescopes’. This activity, organised in collaboration with the STEAM area of the regional Ministry of Education of the Canary Islands Government, aims to provide knowledge and tools to incorporate astronomy in the classroom through the use of professional robotic telescopes, the analysis of scientific data and active learning methodologies. PETeR is an educational project that gives schools free access to professional telescopes