Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía
Encyclopedia
The Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, IAA-CSIC) is an astrophysics-related research institute funded by the High Council of Scientific Research of the Spanish government Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), and is located in Granada, Andalusia
, Spain
. IAA activities are related with research in the field of astrophysics
, and instrumental development both for telescope
s and space missions. Scientific research at the institute covers the following areas: (a) solar system
; (b) star formation
, stellar structure
and evolution
; (c) galaxy formation and evolution
; and (d) cosmology
. The IAA was created as a research institute of the CSIC in July 1975. Presently, the IAA operates the Sierra Nevada Observatory
by itself, and the Calar Alto Observatory
jointly with the Max-Planck Institute of Heidelberg.
The Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía is divided in the following departments, each with an (incomplete) outline of research avenues and groups:
The technological needs of IAA's research groups are fulfilled by the Instrumental and Technological Developments Unit.
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. IAA activities are related with research in the field of astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, and instrumental development both for telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
s and space missions. Scientific research at the institute covers the following areas: (a) solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
; (b) star formation
Star formation
Star formation is the process by which dense parts of molecular clouds collapse into a ball of plasma to form a star. As a branch of astronomy star formation includes the study of the interstellar medium and giant molecular clouds as precursors to the star formation process and the study of young...
, stellar structure
Stellar structure
Stars of different mass and age have varying internal structures. Stellar structure models describe the internal structure of a star in detail and make detailed predictions about the luminosity, the color and the future evolution of the star....
and evolution
Stellar evolution
Stellar evolution is the process by which a star undergoes a sequence of radical changes during its lifetime. Depending on the mass of the star, this lifetime ranges from only a few million years to trillions of years .Stellar evolution is not studied by observing the life of a single...
; (c) galaxy formation and evolution
Galaxy formation and evolution
The study of galaxy formation and evolution is concerned with the processes that formed a heterogeneous universe from a homogeneous beginning, the formation of the first galaxies, the way galaxies change over time, and the processes that have generated the variety of structures observed in nearby...
; and (d) cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
. The IAA was created as a research institute of the CSIC in July 1975. Presently, the IAA operates the Sierra Nevada Observatory
Sierra Nevada Observatory
The Observatorio de Sierra Nevada is located at Loma de Dilar in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in the province of Granada, established in 1981...
by itself, and the Calar Alto Observatory
Calar Alto Observatory
The Calar Alto Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Instituto...
jointly with the Max-Planck Institute of Heidelberg.
The Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía is divided in the following departments, each with an (incomplete) outline of research avenues and groups:
- Department of Extragalactic Astronomy
- Department of Stellar Physics
- Department of Radio Astronomy and Galactic Structure
- Department of Solar System
The technological needs of IAA's research groups are fulfilled by the Instrumental and Technological Developments Unit.