Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía

PySnack 10: PROSE
2024-12-12 10:30 - 16:30 (Europe/Paris) | IAA – CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía, Granada, España
PySnacks
Within the Severo Ochoa Training Initiative of the IAA-CSIC we are offering short introductory practical courses about Python packages for astrophysical applications (PySnacks). We invite you to participate in the 4h course PySnack 10: PROSE
Abstract
Approximately 75% of known exoplanets have been discovered by identifying transit signals in the light curves of their host stars. These discoveries start with the acquisition of raw images of the sky, followed by the extraction of stellar time-series photometry. In this workshop, we will process ground-based observations of the star TRAPPIST-1 to replicate the detection of its first exoplanet transit using original data from the TRAPPIST telescope. Participants will learn to calibrate raw images and extract TRAPPIST-1’s light curve using prose, a Python package designed for modular image processing in astronomy. Finally, we will apply nuance, a detection algorithm tailored for identifying transits in noisy datasets.
Overall, participants will gain hands-on experience in image calibration, light curve extraction, and transit detection, along with practical skills in using Python tools for astronomical data analysis.

Informative Session for Foreign New Hires
2024-12-12 12:30 - 13:30
If you are a foreigner who has recently joined the IAA and have not yet completed all the steps to formalize your residency in Spain, or if you would like to learn about some of the optional bureaucratic procedures that could make things easier for you living here, please join us for this informative session led by the Area of Visitor Assistance.
The session will be held in English and is open to anyone at the IAA who would like to inform themselves on these procedures. Topics covered will include:

Registry and Green Card for EU Citizens
Empadronamiento • TIE Card
Health Card
Digital Certificate/Signature
Electoral Registry for EU Citizens
Finalizing the Doctorate Degree Equivalency with the UGR

Fecha: 12/12/2024 – 12:30Conferenciante: Lauren C. SmithFiliación: Severo Ochoa-IAA Research Support Office. Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía

¿Qué sabemos de nuestra Galaxia después de Gaia?
2024-12-19 19:00 - 20:00
En los últimos 11 años, los resultados de la misión Gaia han revolucionado nuestro conocimiento sobre la Vía Láctea, ofreciendo un nivel de detalle sin precedentes. Este observatorio espacial ha cartografiado con extrema precisión las posiciones, movimientos y fotometría de más de mil ochocientos millones de estrellas, proporcionando una visión tridimensional de nuestra galaxia. Gracias a Gaia, ahora entendemos mejor la estructura espiral de la Vía Láctea, los procesos de formación estelar y las interacciones gravitatorias con otras galaxias cercanas.
Los datos han revelado sorprendentes ondulaciones en el disco galáctico, probablemente causadas por encuentros con galaxias satélite como la Sagitario. También han permitido identificar cúmulos estelares, corrientes de estrellas y patrones de movimiento que nos cuentan la historia dinámica de la Galaxia. Además, Gaia ha mejorado significativamente nuestras mediciones de distancias y masas estelares, lo que impacta directamente en una mejor comprensión de la evolución estelar.
En esencia, Gaia no solo ha transformado la astrofísica, sino que ha permitido a la humanidad explorar con mayor claridad su hogar galáctico, abriendo nuevas preguntas y desafíos en nuestra búsqueda por comprender el cosmos.
Fecha: 19/12/2024 – 19:00Conferenciante: Emilio J. AlfaroFiliación: Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía IAA-CSIC

Academic Spanish Course for Foreigners (2025)
2025-01-21 09:00 - 2025-10-30 17:00
The Academic Spanish course for foreigners is designed to facilitate effective communication in academic and profesional contexts. Through a practical and personalized focus, the participants will develop essential linguistic abilities to discuss scientific articles, participate in conferences, give presentations, and collaborate in international projects. The program includes technical vocabulary, beginner and advanced grammar, and simulations of real-life situations. Moreover, it will promote the cultural immersion to strengthen the comprehension of the Hispanic world, and their impact on interdisciplinary investigation and collaboration.
This course will be taught throughout in the following blocks:
January 21st – February 27thApril 22nd – May 29thSeptember 23rd – October 30thThe course is taught by Prof. Nazira Ruíz

An Unusual Triple System: CN Lyn
2025-01-21 12:30 - 13:30
Triple star systems hold significant astrophysical importance, offering profound insights into stellar evolution, dynamical interactions, and mass transfer processes. Due to their complexity compared to single or binary star systems, triple systems facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of stellar processes from formation to final stages. Thanks to large photometric surveys, such as Kepler, researchers were able to detect triple systems with long periods. Also, the latest studies show that 15% of binaries have a tertiary component. Therefore, studying such objects will lead to results that benefit every aspect of stellar astrophysics. In this talk, I will present our latest study of known but not studied in detail triple star system, CN Lyn, and our findings by combining spectroscopy, photometry, and galactic dynamic techniques.
Fecha: 21/01/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dr. Gökhan YücelFiliación: Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Istanbul University, Turkey

Study of the very high energy emission from star-forming regions and young massive star clusters
2025-01-23 12:30 - 13:30
Cosmic rays (CRs) are a fundamental component of the Cosmos. They can penetrate and ionise the dense gas core of molecular clouds, affecting the dynamics of the cloud itself and triggering chemical reactions that lead to the creation of complex molecular compounds. In star-forming complexes, CRs can be accelerated by the wind of newly born massive stars, often found in young massive stellar clusters (YMSC). The amount of freshly injected CRs can be probed by the observations of high-energy and very-high-energy gamma-rays. In this regard, the future Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) will play a crucial role. CTAO will be composed of around 100 telescopes deployed on two sites, one in Northern and one in the Southern Hemisphere. The arrays will cover a wide energy range from tens of GeV to hundreds of TeV employing telescopes of three sizes: the Large, Medium and Small Sized Telescopes with 23 m, 14 m and 4.5 m mirror diameters, respectively. Each telescope is optimized for the detection of photons below 1 TeV (LST), between 1-10 TeV (MST) and above 10 TeV (SST). The first LST prototype, LST-1, is currently ending its commissioning phase and is starting to collect scientific data. During the present observational cycle, two observational proposals on YMSC were submitted for the very first time. These observations are challenging due to the extension of the expected gamma-ray emission from YMSC and to the limited Field of View (FoV) of the Cherenkov telescopes (around 2.3° radius for LST-1). In this context is of paramount importance to optimise the reconstruction analysis chain (currently under development) for extended sources and to rank the best targets for the next observational campaigns both of LST-1 and of the upcoming 3 LSTs currently under construction at the CTAO-Northern site.
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Fecha: 23/01/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dr. Gaia VernaFiliación: Università degli Studi di Siena, Italy

El crecimiento de la complejidad en el Universo
2025-01-28 12:30 - 13:30
La existencia de vida es uno de los grandes problemas cosmológicos. Aunque la vida sea un hecho observado en un único planeta, el proceso de complejización que supone, debe obedecer a leyes generales universales. Varios autores claman por una “missing law” termodinámica, a la búsqueda de la cual se incorpora la hipótesis que presentamos aquí. El surgimiento y la evolución de la vida son resultado del mismo principio. Se deduce que la complejidad crea complejidad, lo que potencia los mecanismos evolutivos. Esta teoría no se presenta como alternativa a la teoría darwiniana, sino como un necesario complemento.​
Fecha: 28/01/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dr. Eduardo BattanerFiliación: Universidad de Granada, Spain

SO Colloquium: Modelling of large-scale magnetic field in low-mass stars
2025-01-30 12:00 - 13:00
Recent spectropolarimetric observations of low-mass stars show that large-scale components of their magnetic fields can exhibit cyclic variations or reversals. This magnetic activity affects detection of exoplanets and estimation of their masses, and so its modelling is particularly important. In convective stellar envelopes, magnetic fields are created through dynamo action – systematic stretching and twisting of magnetic field lines by helical convective vortices. It is yet however unclear how low-mass stars, with their strong convective turbulence and relatively slow rotation, are able to maintain coherent large-scale magnetic activity. In this talk, I will discuss the physical mechanisms that allow magnetic flux to accumulate at large scales in both turbulent and strongly stratified models of stellar convection. In such models, a highly turbulent convective layer is formed at the surface while the deep flow interiors remain rotationally constrained. Using direct numerical simulations of such flows, I will show that small-scale magnetic flux, generated by small-scale turbulence in the outer flow regions with low density, is systematically transported into more quiescent inner regions by global magnetic pumping mechanism. Consequently, the dipolarity of the field at the surface of the domain increases both with enhancement of turbulence and stratification. I will also explore the mechanisms of destabilization of magnetic fields resulting in magnetic reversals, and their dynamical interactions with zonal flows; finally, I will discuss the impact of differential rotation on magnetic fields during star formation. Both processes could be responsible for diversity of magnetic topology and activity patterns observed in low-mass stars.
Fecha: 30/01/2025 – 12:00Conferenciante: Dr. Anna GusevaFiliación: Observatoire de Paris, France.

La Tierra que acunó la vida: el papel de la sílice
2025-01-30 19:00 - 20:00
En esta conferencia exploraremos los nichos geoquímicos de la Tierra primitiva que pudieron albergar la transición de la geoquímica inorgánica a la geoquímica orgánica, y de ahí a la química prebiotica y la emergencia de la complejidad que derivaría en las primeras estructuras similares a la vida.
Desvelaremos el papel crucial de los minerales, en especial de la sílice, en la autoorganización mineral y en la catálisis heterogénea de la química prebiótica. Y discutiremos la relevancia de esos resultados experimentales en el origen de la vida y en la detección de vida primitiva terrestre y extraterrestre.
El Dr. Juan Manuel García-Ruiz, es Profesor Ikerbasque en el Donostia International Physics Center y Profesor de Investigación ad-honorem en el Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra en el CSIC. Lidera actualmente el proyecto ERC-Synergy “El papel del sílice en el amanecer de la vida en nuestro Planeta”.
Fecha: 30/01/2025 – 19:00Conferenciante: Juan Manuel García-RuizFiliación: Donostia International Physics Center e IACT-CSIC

Resolving Stellar Angular Diameters with Asteroid Occultations
2025-01-31 12:30 - 13:00
Occultations have been used for measuring stellar angular diameters since 1936 when French astronomy M. A. Arnulf measured the radius of Regulus during a lunar occultation. Since then, astronomers have used lunar occultations to measure the angular diameters of hundreds of bright stars m≤5. The technique of measuring an angular diameter using lunar occultations is based on the diffraction of light around the limb of the moon. With this technique, stars down to 1 milliarcsecond could be resolved. In 2018, the ground-based gamma-ray observatory VERITAS detected two asteroid occultations. By imaging the diffraction pattern produced during the ingress and egress of the occultation, VERITAS measured at that time the smallest stellar angular diameter ever recorded of the G IV star TYC 278-748-1 (0.094+0.009 −0.010 mas). Currently, several other stars have also had angular diameters measured. This presentation details the technique, current analysis, and some preliminary results for stellar angular diameters
Fecha: 31/01/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Joshua BartkoskeFiliación: University of Utah, USA

Element Abundances and the Chemical Evolution of the Cosmos
2025-02-03 09:30 - 2025-02-20 23:00
The course will be taught in seven sessions of 1.5 hours each.

27 Jan 2025: Cosmic elemental abundances. Data sources. Stellar abundances. Nebular abundances.
29 Jan 2025: Primordial nucleosynthesis and abundances of the light elements.
3 Feb 2025: Outline of stellar structure and evolution.
5 Feb 2025: Stellar nucleosynthesis and principles of galactic chemical evolution.
10 Feb 2025: Specific models of galactic chemical evolution and comparison with availabledata.
12 Feb 2025: The chemical evolution of external galaxies.
17 Feb 2025: Element abundances at high redshifts and cosmic chemical evolution.

This course is taught by Professor Ángeles I. Díaz (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)

Equality and harrassment in the CSIC. A case of study: IAA
2025-02-06 12:00 - 13:00
In this talk I will present the equality plans in the CSIC with a critical look at the particular situation of the IAA. I will focus on the current IAA Equality plan (the first one) and the changes it needs to live in an increasingly friendly environment. Equality will have a positive impact on the quality of the science we produce.
Fecha: 06/02/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dra. Josefa Masegosa GallegoFiliación: IAA – CSIC, Granada, España

Día Internacional de la Mujer y la Niña en la Ciencia 2025
2025-02-11 08:00 - 22:00
En la actualidad, las mujeres y niñas encuentran barreras de muchos tipos, a veces muy sutiles, que dificultan su presencia en la ciencia. Esta desigualdad es observable en la elección de los estudios por parte de las niñas y se va agudizando al avanzar en las carreras científicas y tecnológicas. A fin de lograr el acceso y la participación plena y equitativa en la ciencia para las mujeres y las niñas, la igualdad de género y el empoderamiento de las mujeres y las niñas, el 15 de diciembre de 2015 se proclamó el 11 de febrero de cada año como el Día Internacional de la Mujer y la Niña en la Ciencia por la la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas.
El Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía se suma un año a esta iniciativa con una serie de actividades en nuestro centro destinadas a visibilizar el trabajo de las científicas, y a crear roles femeninos en los ámbitos de la ciencia y la ingeniería que promuevan prácticas que favorezcan la igualdad de género en el ámbito científico.

Pregunta a una astrónoma
Para la actividad ‘Pregunta a una astrónoma’ estudiantes de quinto y sexto de primaria del CEIP Abencerrajes se reunirán con varias investigadoras del IAA-CSIC para hacerles preguntas de astronomía, sus carreras, … ¡y lo que se les vaya ocurriendo! Previamente el alumnado ha investigado sobre las ellas, ya que les hemos dado sus biografías y han trabajado sobre ellas durante los días previos …

María Passas Varo – Ingeniera y Doctora en Física y Ciencias del Espacio – Departamento del sistema solar
Yolanda Jiménez Teja – Investigadora postdoctoral – Departamento de astronomía extragaláctica
Josefa Masegosa Gallego – Investigadora Científica – Departamento de astronomía extragaláctica
Sara Cazzoli – Contratada Doctor Laboral Fijo – Departamento de astronomía extragaláctica
María Álvarez Santiago – Investigadora predoctoral – Departamento de radioastronomía y estructura galáctica

Mesas astronómicas
Las «Mesas Astronómicas» consisten en encuentros de pequeños grupos de estudiantes de primero de bachillerato del IES Zaídin-Vergeles con mujeres del IAA-CSIC, donde les pueden plantear preguntas tanto de carácter científico como sobre su trayectoria personal y profesional.

Teresa Toscano Domingo – Investigadora predoctoral – Departamento de radioastronomía y estructura galáctica
Mirjana Pović – Contratada Doctor Laboral Fijo – Departamento de astronomía extragaláctica
Isabel Bustamante Díaz – Responsable del taller de mecanizado – Unidad de Desarrollo Instrumental y Tecnológico (UDIT)
Carolina Kehrig – Científica titular – Departamento de astronomía extragaláctica
Laura Darriba Pol – Investigadora postdoctoral – Departamento de astronomía extragaláctica
Amanda López Moreno – Responsable de prensa – Unidad de Cultura Científica y de la Innovación (UCC+I)

El objetivo de esta actividad es ayudar a despertar las vocaciones científicas y tecnológicas de alumnos y alumnas de secundaria, mostrar modelos a seguir y romper los estereotipos de los roles de género en las ciencias y las tecnologías con el fin último de contribuir a reducir la brecha de género en estos campos. Se trata de que cada uno de los grupos de estudiantes que participan conversen durante unos 10 minutos con cada una de estas mujeres que trabajan en distintas áread del Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía-CSIC, de forma rotativa, para resaltar el papel de la mujer en la ciencia y la tecnología en el área de Astrofísica y Ciencias del Espacio. Abarca la divulgación de los temas de investigación que se llevan a cabo en el IAA-CSIC y la discusión abierta sobre los roles de género y estereotipos existentes en torno a la ciencia, la tecnología, la ingeniería y las matemáticas.
¿Esa pregunta es para mí?
Cuatro intrépidas astrónomas responderán a preguntas enviadas por escolares de primaria. No sabremos que saldrá, pero no os lo podéis perder…

Gabriella Gilli – Investigadora postdoctoral EMERGIA – Departamento del sistema solar
Clara Cabanillas de la Casa – Investigadora predoctoral – Departamento de astronomía extragaláctica
Marta Puig Subirà – Investigadora predoctoral – Departamento de astronomía extragaláctica
Laly Gallego Cano – Investigadora postdoctoral – Departamento de radioastronomía y estructura galáctica

CAMPAÑA 11F – RED CSIC GRANADA Y AYUNTAMIENTO
Este año, con motivo del «Día Internacional de la Mujer y la Niña en la Ciencia» el Ayuntamiento de Granada (Servicio de Igualdad y Servicio de Educación) junto con la Red de Igualdad y Diversidad de los centros CSIC de Granada (el Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, la Estación Experimental del Zaidín, la Escuela de Estudios Árabes, el Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López Neyra, el Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra y el Centro Nacional Instituto Geológico y Minero de España) hemos querido visibilizar y dar a conocer el trabajo de 18 científicas que trabajan actualmente en estos seis centros del CSIC en Granada.
https://www.granada.org/inet/wmujer8.nsf/ww07igua/8A64DFA71EE4D036C1258B…
Para ello, se organizan varias actuaciones:

Campaña de sensibilización a la población general sobre la presencia de las mujeres en la Ciencia

Del 27 de enero al 17 de febrero estarán expuestos distintos MUPIS por toda la ciudad, presentando fragmentos de la biografía y del trabajo de estas mujeres profesionales de los 6 centros del CSIC en Granada. Estos cuentan con varios QR que se pueden seguir para conocer más a fondo su trabajo y perfiles profesionales.
Las fichas completas de las investigadoras están disponibles en: https://cloud.iaa.es/index.php/s/WSB9zxnC7AAbaSZ

Esta Campaña es la base de la III EDICIÓN CONCURSO 11-F

El alumnado de los Centros Educativos de la ciudad podrá participar en el III CONCURSO de DIBUJO, MURAL y VÍDEO dirigido a diferentes niveles educativos, presentando trabajos que contribuyan a visibilizar a algunas de estas 18 científicas de los centros del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas en Granada optando a recibir uno de los 6 premios que se otorgarán.

‘Todas hacemos ciencia’: 11F 2025
Estas actividades se engloban en la campaña ‘Todas hacemos ciencia’, organizada por el Consejo Superior de De Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

Referencia: Comisión de Igualdad, Diversidad e Inclusión del IAA-CSIC – igualdad.iaa.csic.es – igualdad@iaa.es

An Unusual Triple System: CN Lyn
2025-02-11 12:30 - 13:30
Triple star systems hold significant astrophysical importance, offering profound insights into stellar evolution, dynamical interactions, and mass transfer processes. Due to their complexity compared to single or binary star systems, triple systems facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of stellar processes from formation to final stages. Thanks to large photometric surveys, such as Kepler, researchers were able to detect triple systems with long periods. Also, the latest studies show that 15% of binaries have a tertiary component. Therefore, studying such objects will lead to results that benefit every aspect of stellar astrophysics.
In this talk, I will present our latest study of known but not studied in detail triple star system, CN Lyn, and our findings by combining spectroscopy, photometry, and galactic dynamic techniques.
Fecha: 11/02/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dr. Gökhan YücelFiliación: Istanbul University in Turkey, Turkey

SO Colloquium: Present and future of exoplanet research
2025-02-13 12:30 - 13:30
The search for new worlds in the Galaxy in the past three decades has been highly successful and the prospects for the next decade are even brighter. A succession of space missions and ground-based facilities defines a timeline extending well into the 2030s. Many advances on the planet discovery front will come from the PLATO mission, which will find long-period planets and even true Earth analogues, and from the many ongoing and future precise radial velocity instruments from the ground, such as CARMENES and ESPRESSO. A major leap forward is expected regarding exoplanet detailed characterisation. The goal is to understand the nature of the exoplanetary bodies and their formation and evolutionary histories through remote sensing of their atmospheres. JWST is measuring a select sample of key transiting exoplanets while Ariel will take this methodology to the next level by analysing over 1000 planets. And in the farther future, extremely large telescopes or interferometers, both on the ground and in space, should permit the measurement of temperate rocky planet atmospheres and, perhaps, the solid identification of molecules of biological interest, which will truly be a revolutionary finding. In this talk, the state of the art of exoplanet research will be described and the main future exoplanet facilities will be presented and put in context.
Fecha: 13/02/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dr. Ignasi RibasFiliación: ICE – CSIC

Mitología e inteligencia artificial, ejes centrales de la séptima edición del festival multidisciplinar Gravite
2025-02-14 18:00 - 20:00
El Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC) participa, junto a otras instituciones, en Gravite 7, acogiendo la proyección del cortometraje ‘Estela’ y la posterior entrega del premio Viajero en el Tiempo. El evento tendrá lugar en su salón de actos el próximo 14 de febrero a las 18:00 horas.
El festival, patrocinado por CaixaBank, contará con la presencia de personalidades destacadas del mundo del cine y la ciencia, como Rosa Montero, Jorge Volpi, Margarita Sánchez, Manuel Sicilia, Emilio García o Alicia Pelegrina, entre otras.
Esta mañana se han presentado en el cementerio de Granada las actividades que se desarrollarán en el marco de la séptima edición del festival multidisciplinar Gravite, patrocinado por CaixaBank. La jornada ha comenzado en el propio camposanto con un encuentro con el escritor y gestor cultural Alfonso Salazar, en torno a su libro Los géneros del dolor y el abandono, publicado por la Editorial Sonámbulos. En esta obra, Salazar aborda la evolución del tango, el bolero y la copla a través de las letras de las canciones, estableciendo una relación entre estos tres géneros y sus posibles conexiones con la música urbana más contemporánea.
La presentación de esta nueva edición de Gravite, ha sido conducida por Juan Ramón Ferreira, concejal de Cultura del Ayuntamiento de Granada; Javier Rivas, director de Área de Negocio de CaixaBank en Granada; Jesús Lens y Gustavo Gómez, director y gestor cultural del evento respectivamente. Al acto también han asistido representantes de las entidades colaboradoras: Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Emucesa, Fundación CajaGranada, Consorcio IFMIF-DONES España, Universidad de Granada, Parque de las Ciencias y Librerías Picasso.

INTELIGENCIA ARTIFICIAL
Dentro del ciclo de cine sobre inteligencia artificial y robots, organizado por Gravite y el Cine Club Universitario, el próximo martes 11 de febrero estará dedicado a esa tecnología que lo está cambiando todo.
Por la mañana, a las 11:45, y con motivo del Día Internacional de la Mujer y la Niña en la Ciencia, el Parque de las Ciencias y el Festival Gravite han organizado un encuentro con científicas que será retransmitido en directo para alumnado a partir del tercer ciclo de educación primaria de toda Andalucía. Durante el coloquio, intervendrán tres mujeres con diferentes trayectorias profesionales para compartir su historia personal y profesional desde una perspectiva de igualdad e integración entre ciencias y humanidades. A través de sus experiencias, el encuentro busca generar referentes femeninos en la ciencia y fomentar el interés por la tecnología y la literatura desde la empatía y la pasión.
Las participantes serán Ana Guijarro Román, astrónoma en el Centro Astronómico Hispano en Andalucía (CAHA), y María Ángeles Martín Prats, profesora titular del Departamento de Ingeniería Electrónica y directora de la línea de investigación aeronáutica de Aviónica en la Universidad de Sevilla. Además, la literatura servirá como vehículo para el desarrollo del coloquio con la participación especial de la escritora y periodista Rosa Montero Gayo. La actividad estará moderada por Lourdes López Pérez, jefa de Sección de I+D+I en Comunicación Social de la Ciencia del Parque de las Ciencias.
Por la tarde, a partir de las 17:00, en Librería Picasso, la jornada comenzará con un club de lectura sobre ‘En un abrir y cerrar de ojos’, de la escritora Jo Callaghan, una novela que explora la introducción de una inteligencia artificial en el trabajo de campo de la Policía.
A continuación, Quico Chirino, director de IDEAL, conversará con Francisco Herrera, catedrático de IA de la UGR, sobre el impacto de la inteligencia artificial y los algoritmos en los medios de comunicación. Para cerrar la jornada, Rosa Montero presentará su novela más reciente, Animales difíciles, protagonizada por Bruna Husky, una replicante en un futuro distópico.
MITOS Y LEYENDAS
La arquitecta y guía turística Blanca Espigares Rooney ha diseñado una ruta para desmontar algunos mitos y leyendas que suelen escucharse en las visitas a los lugares más emblemáticos de Granada.
Por su parte, la Banda Municipal de Música de Granada, galardonada con el Memorial Fernando Marías de Gravite 2025, ofrecerá un concierto titulado Mitos y leyendas en el Teatro CajaGranada. La cita será el miércoles 12 de febrero a las 19:00, con entrada libre para el público.
El viernes 14 de febrero, el Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC) acogerá la proyección del cortometraje Estela, dirigido por Manuel Sicilia, reciente ganador de un Premio Carmen. Este trabajo, realizado en colaboración con el propio IAA-CSIC y IFMIF-DONES, dará pie a un coloquio en el que se explorarán los vínculos entre cine, astrofísica e ingeniería. Además, en el marco de esta jornada, se entregará el Premio Viajero en el Tiempo al escritor mexicano Jorge Volpi.
El sábado 15 de febrero por la tarde, la catedrática de la UGR y arqueóloga Margarita Sánchez Romero presentará su libro (Pre)historias. Cuentos de mujeres que forjaron el mundo, publicado por la editorial Destino. Por su parte, el escritor José Luis Ordóñez hablará sobre su obra El universo de Indiana Jones, publicada por Notorius Ediciones, en la que rinde homenaje a uno de los grandes mitos del cine, encarnado por Harrison Ford a lo largo de cinco películas que abarcan más de 40 años, todo un viaje en el tiempo.
Ese mismo día, Gravite ha organizado una visita guiada a la exposición Granada y el romanticismo: los viajes en el siglo XIX, en el Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo, así como un recorrido por el Carmen de la Victoria de la UGR y la histórica fábrica de cerámica Fajalauza.

SOBRE GRAVITE
Gravite es un festival multidisciplinar de carácter popular que reivindica esa tercera cultura que fusiona ciencias con artes y letras. Con el viaje en el tiempo como protagonista, Gravite se puso en marcha en 2018 por Gustavo Gómez y Jesús Lens. Cuenta con el patrocinio de CaixaBank y la colaboración del Ayuntamiento de Granada, Universidad de Granada-CineClub Universitario UGR, Emucesa, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía-CSIC, Parque de las Ciencias, CajaGranada Fundación, Consorcio IFMIF-DONES España y Librerías Picasso.
Un festival cuyo programa está abierto a todas las ciencias, las artes y las letras, defensor de la tercera cultura que permite maridar las disciplinas más diferentes, posibilitando el contacto y la relación directa entre científicos, autores, creadores, público y aficionados.

Chemical Fingerprints of Galaxy Evolution
2025-02-25 12:30 - 13:30
I will summarise the main projects we are currently working on that use the chemical abundances and pattern as fossil records of galaxy evolution.
In particular, the chemical abundances of the star-forming regions of galaxies contain valuable information about their assembly histories, as well as about the processes that regulate the history of star formation and the mixing of chemical elements. In particular, they encode the history of recent mergers and strong gas inflows, as well as the impact of SN and AGN feedback that could trigger these events. This project was carried out using simulated galaxies from the CIELO and EAGLE projects. I will focus on the studying the impact on the metallicity gradients in the discs and the mass-metallicity relation.
Fecha: 25/02/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dra. Patricia B. TisseraFiliación: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile

ORCA-TWIN: Fast & low read noise CMOS camera project for planetary science and astrophysics
2025-02-26 12:30 - 13:30
The emerging German Center for Astrophyics (DZA) aspires – next to activities for gravitational wave astronomy, radio astronomy, and big data – to engage in CMOS sensor development with the local semiconductor industry and international partners. In parallel to establishing a ﬁrst detector lab that has become operational recently, two oﬀ-the-shelf CMOS cameras were procured to explore hands-on the capabilities for time domain astronomy and solar system research with sub-second time resolution. The cameras are speciﬁed to deliver frame rates of up to 125 fpm with read noise below 0.4 e – .The talk will present science cases for a pilot study, dubbed ORCA-TWIN, that involves two 1m-class-telescopes on a ~1.500 km baseline (CAHA/Tenerife) to enable direct triangulation of solar system bodies and other objects, such as space debris and NEOs, next to other high time resolution applications, e.g. AGN variability, M star ﬂares, exoplanet transits, etc. The capabilities of the conﬁguration as well as challenges concerning data acquisition, online data processing, and synchronization will be discussed.
Fecha: 26/02/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dr. Martin M. RothFiliación: Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik (DZA), Görlitz Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP) Universität Potsdam

Ceres como laboratorio natural. Claves orgánicas desde el cinturón de asteroides
2025-02-27 19:00 - 20:00
En 2017, la sonda Dawn reveló la presencia de material orgánico en la superficie de Ceres, un hallazgo que marcó un hito en la exploración del planeta enano más cercano a la Tierra.
Estudios recientes han identificado nuevas regiones con indicios de compuestos orgánicos adicionales, ampliando nuestra comprensión de este fascinante mundo.
Durante la charla, exploraremos qué hace de Ceres un objeto tan relevante, profundizando en los hallazgos orgánicos, su posible importancia para la astrobiología y las perspectivas futuras en su estudio.
Fecha: 27/02/2025 – 19:00Conferenciante: Juan Luis RizosFiliación: Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC)

SO Colloquium: Gravitational wave astrometry with the SKAO
2025-03-06 12:30 - 13:30
Pulsar timing array detection of a gravitational wave background represents a milestone in the field of gravitational wave astronomy. However, the origin of such a signal is still a matter of intense debate: while supermassive black hole binaries formed as a result of galaxy mergers represent the most obvious candidate for the gravitational wave signal, many «new Physics» models can potentially explain at least part of the detected background. In this colloquium I will review the current observational and theoretical status of the field, addressing current issues and future challenges, Moreover, I will discuss how radio observations with the SKAO can contribute to this broader context, and, in particular, I will focus on a possible background detection strategy that involves both pulsar timing array and gravitational wave astrometry.
Fecha: 06/03/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dr. Nicola BellomoFiliación: Dipartimento di Fisica “Galileo Galilei”, Universitá degli Studi di Padova, Italy

J-HERTz: J-PLUS Heritage Exploration of Radio Targets at z < 5
2025-03-11 12:30 - 13:30
In this talk, I will present J-HERTz, the J-PLUS Heritage Exploration of Radio Targets at z < 5, a multi-wavelength catalog combining LoTSS DR2 radio data, WISE infrared detections, and J-PLUS DR3 optical narrow-band observations. Covering 2100 deg², J-HERTz includes nearly 500,000 sources, classified into galaxies, QSOs, and stars, along with new photometric redshifts for objects without spectroscopy.
A key discovery is a population of radio-loud galaxies with no ongoing nuclear activity, many of which show large-scale radio emission (~185 kpc), suggesting they are AGN relics revealed at low radio frequencies. Using SED fitting from J-PLUS with CIGALE, we analyze the link between radio-loudness, stellar mass, and star formation. Radio-loud galaxies tend to be massive and quenched, while radio-quiet starbursts have much higher specific star formation rates.
For QSOs, we find a bimodal distribution of radio-loud and radio-quiet populations, with the radio-loud fraction increasing with redshift, reaching ~20% at z = 3.5-4. Additionally, J-HERTz identifies stars with radio emission, which may be linked to coronal activity or exoplanet interactions, though background contamination must be considered.
By combining optical, IR, and radio data, J-HERTz provides new insights into AGN evolution, jet activity, and the nature of radio sources across cosmic time. I will discuss the implications of these findings and their connection to galaxy evolution.
Fecha: 11/03/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: David Fernández GilFiliación: CEFCA, Teruel, España

What Stops Star Formation in Isolated Dwarf Galaxies in the Most Underdense Cosmic Regions?
2025-03-25 12:30 - 13:30
The shallow potential wells of low-mass galaxies, commonly known as dwarf galaxies, make them highly susceptible to environmental effects, often leading to the complete cessation of star formation. But is quenching solely driven by external forces in harsh environments, or can dwarf galaxies also self-quench through mechanisms like strong stellar winds or supernova feedback, independent of external influences? In this contribution, I present our latest findings on a sample of isolated and quenched dwarf galaxies in the sparse environments of the cosmic web, including voids and filaments. With no neighbors within a 1 Mpc radius, these galaxies reside in environments where traditional quenching mechanisms—such as ram pressure stripping and tidal interactions—are negligible. Intriguingly, some of these galaxies ceased forming stars 7 to 8 Gyr ago, exhibiting star formation histories akin to dwarf galaxies in the dense cores of massive clusters like Virgo and Fornax. The existence of such galaxies in vastly different environments challenges conventional quenching paradigms and highlights the need to explore alternative mechanisms, including internal feedback processes and distinct formation pathways. Understanding these processes alongside environmental effects is crucial for developing a more complete picture of star formation cessation in dwarf galaxies.
Fecha: 25/03/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dr. Bahar BidaranFiliación: Dpto. Física Teórica y del Cosmos Universidad de Granada, Spain

Ciencia en palabras
2025-03-27 19:00 - 20:00
Peter Brook, uno de los directores más influyentes del teatro contemporáneo, decía que “lo inesperado no tiene límites”. Y así es. Por ejemplo, se puede encontrar la ciencia en lugares inesperados, como los discursos de ingreso de la Real Academia Española (RAE).
Estos textos son ensayos muy concretos sobre un tema y, también, son una instantánea de la sociedad, del arte y de la ciencia en diferentes contextos históricos.
Esta charla pretende ser una breve y entretenida reseña de esos discursos donde la ciencia pasa a través del prisma de la palabra de artistas y académicos.
La visión es la de una investigadora en astrofísica, teatrera e … italiana, que, al equivocarse mucho en las palabras y consultar tanta veces la RAE, ha encontrado mucha ciencia. La ciencia en las palabras de la RAE es una inesperada y inspiradora sorpresa que merece ser compartida.
Fecha: 27/03/2025 – 19:00Conferenciante: Sara CazzoliFiliación: Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC)

A Minion in PANIC arrives to Calar Alto Observatory
2025-04-01 12:30 - 13:30
Calar Alto has a new tenant: PANIC, the PAnoramic Near-Infrared Camera for Calar Alto. PANIC is a project jointly developed by the MPIA in Heidelberg, Germany, and the IAA in Granada, Spain, for the Calar Alto Observatory (CAHA; Almería, Spain).
This instrument can work with the 2.2 m and 3.5 m telescopes. Its original detector has been recently replaced by a monolithic HAWAII-4RG, therefore the instrument covers now a field of view of 26×26 arcmin and 13×13 arcmin at each telescope, respectively, with a sampling of 4096 × 4096 pixels without gaps. It is designed for the spectral bands from Z to Ks, but can also be equipped with narrow band filters, such as H2, Br-gamma. It is the first 4K infrared camera for the European sky!
PANIC had its first light at the 2.2m telescope in November 2014 and was accepted by CAHA in 2015 under the statement that all parties (CAHA, MPIA and IAA) agreed that the array of four Hawaii-2RG detectors should be replaced as soon as possible. The replacement was successful, the commissioning fruitful, and the instrument is upgraded and ready to be used by the scientific community! PANIC can be booked for observation at the 2.2 m telescope starting next semester, the call for proposals is already open and the deadline is on 10th April 2025.
In this talk we present the work done to upgrade the instrument with this new detector, the instrument performance and the high level software. This software has been developed for the planning of the observations (Observation Tool), for the interactive analysis of images during the observations (Quicklook), and for the final data reduction (PAPI, PANIC Pipeline).
Curious about the Minion? Come to our talk!
Fecha: 01/04/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Ana Guijarro, Vianak Naranjo, Antonio J. García, José M. Ibáñez and Sara MuñozFiliación: MPIA, CAHA and IAA-CSIC, Germany/Spain

Phase curve fitting in the context of large-scale photometric surveys
2025-04-03 12:30 - 13:30
The shallow potential wells of low-mass galaxies, commonly known as dwarf galaxies, make them highly susceptible to environmental effects, often leading to the complete cessation of star formation. But is quenching solely driven by external forces in harsh environments, or can dwarf galaxies also self-quench through mechanisms like strong stellar winds or supernova feedback, independent of external influences? In this contribution, I present our latest findings on a sample of isolated and quenched dwarf galaxies in the sparse environments of the cosmic web, including voids and filaments. With no neighbors within a 1 Mpc radius, these galaxies reside in environments where traditional quenching mechanisms—such as ram pressure stripping and tidal interactions—are negligible. Intriguingly, some of these galaxies ceased forming stars 7 to 8 Gyr ago, exhibiting star formation histories akin to dwarf galaxies in the dense cores of massive clusters like Virgo and Fornax. The existence of such galaxies in vastly different environments challenges conventional quenching paradigms and highlights the need to explore alternative mechanisms, including internal feedback processes and distinct formation pathways. Understanding these processes alongside environmental effects is crucial for developing a more complete picture of star formation cessation in dwarf galaxies.
Fecha: 03/04/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dr. Milagros ColazoFiliación: Astronomical Observatory Institute, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Adam Mickiewicz University

Synthetic ngVLA Observations of Ionized Gas in Massive Protostars and Future Prospects for Protoplanetary Disk Studies with ngVLA and SKA
2025-04-08 12:30 - 13:30
The study of protoplanetary disks is essential for understanding stellar evolution and the origins of planets. However, these systems present significant observational challenges due to their small angular size, low surface brightness, and complex structure. Radio interferometry provides a unique advantage by observing dust and gas at wavelengths that penetrate the dense regions where the protoplanetary disk forms. The upcoming Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) will transform protoplanetary disk studies with its unprecedented angular resolution and sensitivity in the millimeter and centimeter bands. These capabilities will allow high-fidelity imaging of disk substructures, planet-disk interactions, and dust evolution, offering critical insights into the processes shaping planetary systems. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will complement these efforts by detecting cold molecular gas, magnetic fields, and ionized material, providing additional constraints on disk dynamics and chemistry. Together, these facilities will enable a multi-scale, multi-phase perspective on planet-forming environments.
A major challenge associated with these observatories is the immense volume of data they will generate and the necessitating advanced deconvolution and imaging techniques to reconstruct high-fidelity images. In this talk, I will present results from simulated ngVLA observations of ultracompact HII regions (Jáquez-Domínguez et al. 2025) and my current work on protoplanetary disks, where I am testing the capabilities and optimal configurations of ngVLA and SKA to maximize their scientific performance. By combining state-of-the-art radiative transfer models with next-generation imaging techniques, we aim to refine strategies for future high-resolution disk studies. These efforts will be crucial for unlocking the full potential of ngVLA and its synergy with SKA and ALMA, paving the way for transformative discoveries in planet formation.
Fecha: 08/04/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dr. Miguel JáquezFiliación: IRyA (UNAM), México

Impacts of Cosmic Dust in the Atmospheres of Mars and Venus
2025-04-10 12:30 - 13:30
Cosmic dust particles are produced from the sublimation of comets and by collisions between asteroids. Because the particles enter a planetary atmosphere at hypersonic velocities, collisional heating with air molecules causes a fraction of them to melt, leading to vaporization of their metallic constituents. The injection of these elements causes a wide variety of atmospheric phenomena in the terrestrial atmosphere, including the formation of global layers of metal atoms between 80 and 105 km; airglow emissions; layers of metallic ions which affect radio communications; and the production of meteoric smoke particles which enable the nucleation of mesospheric ice clouds and the freezing of polar stratospheric clouds. Certain metal atoms can be observed very precisely by ground-based lidar and from satellites, providing an excellent tracer of dynamics and chemistry at the edge of geospace.
The input rate of cosmic dust to the Earth’s atmosphere has been very uncertain. A new estimate of around 28 tonnes per day globally will be discussed; this was obtained using an astronomical dust model to provide the size and velocity distributions of dust in the inner solar system, combined with the Leeds Chemical Ablation Model (CABMOD) to determine the rate of injection of metals into the atmosphere. CABMOD is itself benchmarked using a novel Meteoric Ablation Simulator to measure the evaporation rates of metals from meteoritic particles that are flash heated, simulating atmospheric entry. The dust inputs into the atmospheres of Mars (2 t d-1) and Venus (31 t d-1) can now be constrained using the terrestrial input.
The chemistry of the four most abundant meteoric ablation elements – Mg, Fe, Si and Na – has been constructed from laboratory measurements and theoretical calculations of the rate coefficients for over 120 individual reactions involving neutral and ionized species. This chemistry, together with the relevant metal injection rates as a function of height, location and time, has been inserted into the Planetary Climate Models for Mars and Venus developed in Paris (LMD) and Granada (IAA). For Mars, model simulations generally compare well against observations of metallic ions made by instruments (IUVS and NGIMS) on NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft. In particular, the diurnal, latitudinal and seasonal variations of the Mg+ layer centred around 95 km are captured well. However, there are several interesting differences higher in the ionosphere that are currently unexplained.
In the case of Venus, metallic species have never been observed. However, the PCM-Na model predicts that the atomic Na layer around 110 km should be observable at the dawn terminator by a terrestrial telescope-spectrometer. Metallic carbonate species are also predicted to act as ice nuclei, forming transient CO2-ice clouds above 110 km. CO2-ice clouds may also form in the upper haze layer between 80 and 90 km, in cold pockets produced by gravity waves. The sedimentation and subsequent evaporation of these large particles would lead to the downward transport of various atmospheric constituents. Finally, a strong candidate for the mystery absorber in the Venusian clouds is iron trichloride (FeCl3), produced by the extra-terrestrial input of Fe. In contrast, the SO dimer OSSO, which has been favoured in the past to explain the absorber, should make a negligible contribution.
Fecha: 10/04/2025 – 12:30Conferenciante: Dr. John PlaneFiliación: School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

Espectroscopía 3D: la mejor forma de descifrar la luz de las galaxias
2025-04-24 19:00 - 20:00
La espectroscopía bidimensional, también conocida como espectroscopía 3D, es una técnica revolucionaria que permite obtener simultáneamente información espacial y espectral de alta resolución. Esta capacidad ha representado un avance significativo en diversos campos de la astrofísica, como la evolución química de las galaxias y la cosmología.
En esta conferencia haremos un recorrido histórico por las técnicas tradicionales de fotometría y espectroscopía, lo que nos permitirá contextualizar la importancia y el carácter innovador de la espectroscopía 3D. Asimismo, presentaremos algunos de los principales descubrimientos que han sido posibles gracias a su aplicación.
Fecha: 24/04/2025 – 19:00Conferenciante: Raúl González DíazFiliación: Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC)

SO-IAA School on Bayesian Statistics
2025-05-05 09:00 - 2025-05-08 12:00
During five half days the school will cover topics from the basics of Bayesian inference over model fitting, computational methods to simulations.
Practical exercises will be combined with the theoretical lectures
The agenda will include:

Basics of Bayesian Inference. A quick review of Bayes theorem, the basics of probability and probability distributions, followed by a fun exercise that introduces Bayesian inference in practice and how to define prior distributions. Finally, some connection to maximum likelihood and linear regression.
Bayesian Computation. Bayesian inference in practice: the basics of sampling algorithms, and how to know whether your model is less wrong than other models.
Beyond the linear model: hierarchical and generalized linear models. Going beyond the basics: population inference with hierarchical Bayesian modelling, fast inference with probabilistic and differentiable programming, and going beyond linear regression
Simulation-based Bayesian Inference. Bayesian inference with implicit likelihoods: how to sample posteriors when the likelihood is not accessible, but a simulator is.

Professors: Gwen Eadie (University of Toronto) and Daniela Huppenkothen (SRON, Netherlands)

SO Colloquium: Protecting Dark and Quiet Skies from Satellite Interference: Challenges and Mitigation Efforts
2025-05-08 12:30 - 13:30
The rapid deployment of satellite megaconstellations is fundamentally changing the sky, posing a growing challenge to both optical and radio astronomy. While the issue is widely acknowledged, the full extent of its impact, the ongoing mitigation efforts, and the potential future scenarios remain less well understood. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) established the Centre for the Protection of Dark and Quiet Skies (CPS) to coordinate global efforts in assessing, mitigating, and managing the impact of satellite constellations. The CPS works across scientific, technical, and policy domains, industry stakeholders, and observatories worldwide to develop strategies that protect astronomical observations. Recent efforts have focused on refining impact assessment tools, advocating for regulatory protections, and collaborating with satellite operators to implement voluntary mitigation measures such as surface darkening and improved orbit management. This talk will present the latest progress in mitigating satellite interference, with a particular focus on radio astronomy and the future challenges for the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO). We will discuss what has been achieved, and what are the options and pathways ahead.
Fecha: 08/05/2025 – 12:30Dr. Federico Di VrunoFiliación: SKAO & IAU-CPS
