An international team of astronomers, including researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), the University of Liège and collaborators in UK, Chile, the USA, and Europe, has discovered a transiting giant planet orbiting the smallest known star to host such a companion — a finding that defies current theories of planet formation. The host star, TOI-6894 , is a red dwarf with only 20% the mass of the Sun , typical of the most common stars in our galaxy. Until now, such low-mass stars were not thought capable of forming or retaining giant planets. But as published today in

The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM) of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), located on La Palma, has reached another important milestone with the installation of the camera of the LST-4, one of the four Large-Sized Telescopes (LST), which will be part of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), currently under construction. The installation of the camera represents the completion of the telescope assembly and marks its transition to the commissioning phase. After a thorough performance evaluation at the IACTEC building, the IAC's technological and business

From 20 to 23 May, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) hosted the scientific meeting of the GATOS (Galaxy Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey) collaboration, a meeting that brought together 30 leading international researchers to advance our knowledge of one of the most enigmatic phenomena in the universe: active galactic nuclei. GATOS is an international collaboration of 60 experts from institutions around the world, united by the common goal of deciphering the complex mechanisms that govern active galactic nuclei. The centres of galaxies harbour supermassive black holes that

The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has opened the application period for the XXXVI Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics , which will be held from 17 to 22 November 2025. This edition is carried out in the framework of the CELESTE (Centre for Optical and Space Technologies of the IAC) programme funded by the European Union and will focus on key optical technologies for astronomy, a field that is driving 21st century discoveries about the universe. Applications will be accepted until Friday, 13 June. The IAC’s Winter School is renowned for its educational approach and

On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has received a very special recognition: the issue by Correos of a commemorative stamp celebrating the centre's four decades of history, research and technological development. The stamp is part of the philatelic series ‘ESPAÑA ES. Science’, a collection that highlights science, technology and innovation as drivers of economic and social development. Under the slogan ‘40 years dreaming stars’, this issue highlights the role of the IAC as an international reference in astrophysics and the relevance of its