Starmus La Palma
The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), designated as a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence by the Spanish Government, is a pioneer in astrophysics in Spain and manages two of the world's best observatories: the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma and the Izaña Observatory in Tenerife. The IAC is a public consortium formed by the Spanish General Administration, the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, the University of La Laguna (ULL), and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
The study of the universe is the core of IAC's scientific activity, covering a wide range of topics: cosmology, astroparticles, galaxies, stars, interstellar matter, the Sun, planetary systems, and archaeoastronomy. Additionally, the IAC designs and constructs telescopes, optical, infrared, and microwave instrumentation, and space astrophysics equipment. It is an advanced technology center developing optical and infrared cameras, low and high-resolution spectrographs, cryogenic instruments, infrared multi-object spectroscopy, and fiber systems. It also focuses on atmospheric optics and high spatial resolution.
Furthermore, the IAC is committed to training the next generation of astrophysics professionals, offering a variety of national and international training programs, including postgraduate scholarships, doctoral programs, and research positions. The IAC has also institutionalized the International School of Astrophysics, "The Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics," which annually brings together the world's leading specialists in each thematic area
