• The Sun is a normal star after all
    This work, led by a researcher from the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, seems to put to bed the idea, which gained strength in the last few years, that the Sun was not a standard "solar type" star.
  • IA astronomers featured in
    “Women in Science 2023”
    The forth edition of the book Mulheres na Ciência (Women in Science) adds two more researchers from Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA), to a list that already features several other IA researchers.
  • Black holes might have the answer
    for the expansion of the Universe
    An international team, with the participation
    of the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA),
    suggests that the mass of black holes increases
    with the scale of the Universe.
  • Imaginary extraterrestrials help learn about the Solar System and about life beyond Earth
    The Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA) launches a free educational board game that promotes group learning about the planets and moons of the Solar System and about astrobiology.
  • Portugal and the largest international organization
    in astronomy strengthen ties for science communication
    The partnership between the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA)
    and the Office for Astronomy Outreach of the International Astronomical Union (IAU-OAO)
    paves the way for more international projects with Portuguese collaborations.
  • Astronomers discover irregularities in the core of red giants
    This work, developed at the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, in collaboration with researchers from Italy and France, used a technique known as asteroseismology to peer inside old stars.
  • IA co-organized Sub-Saharan Africa advanced astronomy school
    The first edition of the Sub-Saharan Africa Astronomy Summer School (SSAASS), which took place between the 19th and 30th of September, in Uganda, had the participation of two researchers from Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA).
  • IA researchers among the most influential worldwide in 2021
    The newest version of the world ranking of most cited researchers includes seven researchers of the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA).
  • Want to work with us and help to shape the future of Astrophysics?
    See the list of open opportunities
INSTITUTE OF
ASTROPHYSICS AND
SPACE SCIENCES
The Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) is a research infrastructure with a national dimension. It embodies a bold vision for the development of Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences in Portugal, taking full advantage and fully realizing the potential created by the national membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
RESEARCH
The research and development effort at the IA includes most of the topics presently, and for the next decade, at the forefront of research in Astrophysics and Space Sciences, from the Solar System to the large-scale properties of the Universe, complemented by work on instrumentation and systems with potential use in Astronomy and Astrophysics projects.
TRAINING
The provision of advanced training is also at the core of IA, with the support of teaching and research at undergraduate and postgraduate level in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences related degrees, in particular at the Universities of Lisbon and Porto, where such degrees have more solid backing. The Doctoral networks PhD::SPACE and DAEPHYS, recently funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), are examples of the commitment of IA in this area.
OUTREACH
The public outreach groups of IA are recognized as Outreach ESO partners, engaging in a broad range of public outreach activities, most of them based at the Porto Planetarium and at the Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon. Our main objective in outreach is to be the prime source of information on Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences topics for the media and the public in Portugal, and to improve the public awareness of the latest and most relevant findings in Astrophysics and Space Sciences.
Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia COMPETE 2020 PORTUGAL 2020 União Europeia