INAF facts for kids
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| Established | 1999 |
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| Location | , |
| Coordinates | 41°55′18.82″N 12°26′59.57″E / 41.9218944°N 12.4498806°E |
| Address | Viale del Parco Mellini 84, 00136 Rome, Italy |
| Website | http://www.inaf.it/ |
The National Institute for Astrophysics (Italian: Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, or INAF) is a special Italian group. It focuses on studying astronomy and astrophysics, which is the science of space and everything in it. INAF was started in 1999.
This institute helps fund and run twenty different research places. These places employ many smart people, like scientists, engineers, and technical staff. Their work covers almost all areas of space science. This includes everything from studying planets to understanding the entire universe.
Contents
Exploring the Universe: INAF's Research Centers
INAF helps guide the work of twenty research places. Nineteen of these are in Italy, and one is in Spain. These centers are where scientists do their amazing work.
- Bologna Observatory
- Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica di Bologna
- Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna
- Cagliari Observatory
- Catania Observatory
- Arcetri Observatory (Florence)
- Brera Observatory (Milan)
- Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica di Milano
- Capodimonte Observatory (Naples)
- Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova
- Palermo Observatory
- Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica di Palermo
- Rome Observatory
- Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica di Roma
- Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario di Roma
- Collurania-Teramo Observatory
- Turin Observatory
- Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario di Torino
- Trieste Observatory
- Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (Canary Islands, Spain)
- Sardinia Radio Telescope (San Basilio, Sardinia)
- Noto Radio Observatory (Noto, Sicily)
Working Together: INAF's Global Partners
INAF works with many other science groups around the world. These partnerships help them do bigger and better research.
Some of their main partners include:
- The European Southern Observatory (ESO): Italy has been a member of ESO since 1982.
- Observatories in the Canary Islands: These include the Teide Observatory and Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.
- The Large Binocular Telescope: INAF works on this huge telescope with the United States and Germany.
- The Very Long Baseline Interferometry group: This group uses many telescopes together to act like one giant telescope.
- The European Space Agency (ESA): This is Europe's space agency.
- The American National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA): This is the famous space agency in the United States.
Important People at INAF
Many talented people lead the work at INAF. Here are a few notable figures:
- Giampaolo Vettolani: He is a scientific director.
- Stefano Cristiani: He is a member of the board.
- Nicolò D'Amico: He was the president of INAF from 2015 to 2020.
Exciting Space Projects
INAF is involved in many cool projects that help us learn more about space. Some of these projects include:
- Mars Multispectral Imager for Subsurface Studies: This is a special camera and instrument. It is designed for the ExoMars rover named Rosalind Franklin. It will help study Mars.
- Rapid Eye Mount telescope (REM): This is a robotic telescope that can quickly point to new events in space.
- Juno's JIRAM: This is an instrument on NASA's Juno spacecraft. It studies the giant planet Jupiter.
See also
In Spanish: Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica para niños
