National Institute for Astrophysics facts for kids
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| Established | 1999 |
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| Location | , |
| Coordinates | 41°55′21″N 12°27′08″E / 41.92250°N 12.45222°E |
| Address | Viale del Parco Mellini 84, 00136 Rome, Italy |
| Website | http://www.inaf.it/ |
The National Institute for Astrophysics (which in Italian is called Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, or INAF) is a special Italian group that studies space! It's like a big science club for astronomy and astrophysics. INAF started in 1999. They help run twenty different places where scientists, engineers, and other experts work. These amazing people study almost everything in space, from planets to the entire universe!
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INAF's Space Research Centers
INAF helps manage twenty different places where scientists study space. Most of these are in Italy, but one is in Spain. These centers are like special schools for learning about stars, planets, and galaxies.
Here are some of their important research centers:
- Bologna Observatory
- Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica di Bologna
- Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna
- Cagliari Observatory
- Catania Observatory
- Arcetri Observatory (in Florence)
- Brera Observatory (in Milan)
- Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica di Milano
- Capodimonte Observatory (in 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 (located in the Canary Islands, Spain)
- Sardinia Radio Telescope (in San Basilio, Sardinia)
- Noto Radio Observatory (in Noto, Sicily)
Working with Other Countries
INAF works with many other science groups around the world. This helps them share ideas and build bigger, better telescopes.
Here are some of the international groups they work with:
- The European Southern Observatory (ESO): Italy has been a part of ESO since 1982. ESO builds and runs giant telescopes in places like Chile.
- Observatories in the Canary Islands: These include the Teide Observatory and the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.
- The Large Binocular Telescope: This is a huge telescope built with partners from the United States and Germany.
- The European Space Agency (ESA): ESA is Europe's space agency, like NASA for Europe.
- The American National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA): NASA is famous for sending astronauts to space and exploring planets.
Cool Space Projects
INAF is involved in many exciting projects that help us learn more about space.
Some of their projects include:
- Mars Multispectral Imager for Subsurface Studies (Ma_MISS): This is a special camera and tool for the ExoMars rover called Rosalind Franklin. It will help scientists study what's under the surface of Mars.
- Rapid Eye Mount telescope (REM): This telescope can quickly point to different parts of the sky. It's great for catching fast-moving events like gamma-ray bursts.
- Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM): This instrument is on NASA's Juno spacecraft. It helps us study the amazing auroras (like the Northern Lights) on Jupiter.
See Also
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)
- French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
Images for kids
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Scientists signing an agreement for a new telescope system.
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The REM telescope with the Milky Way galaxy in the background.
