IAC researcher David Aguado has obtained a prestigious Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC), aimed at promoting promising young scientists. This is the third ERC grant -one of the most competitive and recognized of the Horizon Europe program- that the center has received so far this year, thus consolidating its international projection. These highly competitive grants provide up to €1.5 million over five years to support outstanding young scientists in establishing their own independent research groups and pursuing pioneering scientific ideas. Searching for the first stars

Astronomers at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), using the 2-meter robotic Two-meter Twin Telescope (TTT) at the Teide Observatory, have obtained the deepest optical images ever taken of Malin 2, one of the largest and faintest spiral galaxies in the Universe. These ultra-deep observations have revealed previously unseen structures, including several diffuse stellar emissions and a striking, elongated spiral-like feature, hinting at past interactions with other galaxies. The team has also identified a potential ultra-diffuse dwarf galaxy (UDG) about 400,000 light-years from