INAF
Encyclopedia
The Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (National Institute for Astrophysics), or INAF for short, is the most important Italian
institution conducting scientific research in astronomy
and astrophysics
. Researches performed by the scientific staff of the Institute go from the study of the planets and minor bodies of the solar system
up to researches of cosmological interest (e.g. large-scale structure of the Universe and systems of galaxies).
:
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
institution conducting scientific research in astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and 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...
. Researches performed by the scientific staff of the Institute go from the study of the planets and minor bodies of the 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...
up to researches of cosmological interest (e.g. large-scale structure of the Universe and systems of galaxies).
Research Facilities
INAF coordinates the activities of 20 research units, 19 of which located in Italy and the last one operating in SpainSpain
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...
:
- Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna
- Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica di Bologna
- Istituto di Radioastronomia di BolognaIstituto di Radioastronomia di BolognaThe Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna is one of the Italian institutes that had already been part of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , now part of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica .Many learned researchers in astronomy, physics, engineering or...
- Osservatorio Astronomico di CagliariCagliari ObservatoryThe Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Italy's Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica . It is located 20 km away from Cagliari in Sardinia. It was founded in 1899 to study the Earth's rotation.-External links:**...
- Osservatorio Astrofisico di CataniaCatania Astrophysical ObservatoryThe Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania is an astronomical observatory in Catania, southern Italy. Owned and operated by Catania University, it belongs to the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica ....
- Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri
- Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Milano)
- Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica di Milano
- Osservatorio Astronomico di CapodimonteAstronomical Observatory of CapodimonteThe Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte The Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte The Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte (Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Italy's Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (National Institute for...
, NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples... - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova
- Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo
- Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica di Palermo
- Osservatorio Astronomico di RomaRome ObservatoryThe Rome Observatory is one of twelve Astronomical Observatories in Italy. It consists of three sites: Monte Porzio Catone, Campo Imperatore and Monte Mario...
- Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica di Roma
- Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario di Roma
- Osservatorio Astronomico di TeramoCollurania-Teramo ObservatoryOsservatorio Astronomico di Collurania-Teramo "V. Cerulli" is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Italy's Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica . It is located in Teramo, Italy...
- Osservatorio Astronomico di TorinoObservatory of TurinThe Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Italy's Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica...
- Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario di Torino
- Osservatorio Astronomico di TriesteTrieste Astronomical ObservatoryThe Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste is an astronomical center of studies located in Trieste, northern Italy....
- Telescopio Nazionale GalileoTelescopio Nazionale GalileoThe Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, or TNG, is a 3.58m Italian telescope located on the island of San Miguel de La Palma , in the Canary Islands archipelago. It is one of the largest telescopes hosted by the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, a very important observing site in the northern hemisphere...
(Canary IslandsCanary IslandsThe Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, Spain)
International partnerships
INAF is involved in scientific collaborations with several international institutions, among which we mention:- the European Southern ObservatoryEuropean Southern ObservatoryThe European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries...
(Italy has been a ESO member since 1982) - the astronomical observatories located in Canary Islands (Teide ObservatoryTeide ObservatoryThe Observatorio del Teide is an astronomical observatory on Tenerife operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. Opened in 1964, it became one of the first major international observatories, attracting telescopes from different countries around the world because of the good astronomical...
and Roque de los Muchachos ObservatoryRoque de los Muchachos ObservatoryRoque de los Muchachos Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in the municipality of Garafía on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands...
) - the Large Binocular TelescopeLarge Binocular TelescopeLarge Binocular Telescope is an optical telescope for astronomy located on Mount Graham in the Pinaleno Mountains of southeastern Arizona, and is a part of the Mount Graham International Observatory...
, in partnership with USA and GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - the Very Long Baseline InterferometryVery Long Baseline InterferometryVery Long Baseline Interferometry is a type of astronomical interferometry used in radio astronomy. It allows observations of an object that are made simultaneously by many telescopes to be combined, emulating a telescope with a size equal to the maximum separation between the telescopes.Data...
consortium - the European Space AgencyEuropean Space AgencyThe European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
(ESA) - the American National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA)
External links
- Official website of INAF
- Public and press website of INAF
- Website of the Italian Telescopio Nazione Galileo
- Website of the Large Binocular Telescope (ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, USA) - Italian Astronomical Archive Center
- VObs.it: Italian Virtual Observatory