Optical frequency comb allows more accurate astronomical observations.

Scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam (AIP) and the Centre for innovation competence innoFSPEC have tested a novel optical frequency comb at an astronomical instrument. This new light source shall improve the calibration of spectrographs and hence their scientific measurements.

We start a series of short pieces of news related to the imminent arrival to Calar Alto of CARMENES, the new Observatory’s exoplanet hunter. In plain English, it is a “machine to discover planets like our Earth around the most abundant (and, also, the closest, smallest and coolest) stars”.  

A study of the binary system “MY Camelopardalis” published in the journalAstronomy & Astrophysics, shows that the most massive stars are formed by the merging of other smaller stars, as theoretical models predicted.

The second data release of the international project CALIFA - a survey of galaxies carried out at Calar Alto observatory – will take place today.

Performed at Calar Alto, CALIFA reaffirms to Calar Alto as a very competitive worldwide astronomical facility and highly productive.

Calar Alto Observatory took part on the European Night of the Researches with a roundtable and an exposition of anaglyph (3D images) showing the constellations, in collaboration with the Instituto Astrofísico de Andalucía (CSIC) and the Asociación de Amigos de Calar Alto.