The Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC), certified by the Spanish Government as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence, is a Spanish public research organisation that operates two of the leading international observatories in the world. Administratively, it is a Public Consortium formed by the Spanish General State Administration, the Public Administration of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, the University of La Laguna (ULL) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
The observatories of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands—the Teide Observatory in Izaña (Tenerife) and the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in Garafía (La Palma)—are located in two of the most privileged sites for astronomical observations. The contemporary history of astronomy in the Canary Islands dates back to astronomical expeditions in the 19th century. A compilation of these expeditions has been compiled by Prof. F. Sánchez in Vistas in Astronomy (1985).
