105
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
F. Sánchez, The Rise of Astrophysics in Modern Spain, Astronomers’ Universe,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66426-8_12
12
Science Meets Politics: The Law
of Astrophysics and Its Avatars
(1975–2011)
By the mid-seventies we had made quite a lot of progress with regard to the
juridico–administrative status of astrophysics in the Canary Islands. It was
one of our key strategic objectives, but much still remained to be done. I now
describe how the task was completed and the difficulties we still face today in
maintaining this particular form of identity.
First of all, it was vital to prevent the newborn discipline of astrophysics in
the Canaries from being swallowed up and lost in the centralizing whirlpool
of CSIC or some other Madrid-based body. We achieved this by following a
two-pronged strategy: (1) founding the University Institute of Astrophysics of
the University of La Laguna, which incorporated Teide Observatory, and (2)
simultaneously creating, through the Provincial Inter-island Association of
Cabildos of the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the Astrophysics Institute
of the Association of Cabildos, so that lands could be ceded for what was to
become Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.
In 1975 a further step forward was taken towards administrative consolidation by unifying all astrophysical activity in the islands under a single entity,
of which CSIC, a scientific body of national status, would be simply one
member more participating in this major astrophysical project. All this formed
part of an agreement of cooperation signed in Madrid, in the presence of the
Minister for Education and Science, by the Chancellor of the University of La
Laguna, the President of the Provincial Inter-island Association of Cabildos of
the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and CSIC. This new entity was called
the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC).
But the decisive step was finally taken in the eighties, when the Instituto de
Astrofísica de Canarias was granted by law ‘juridical personality with full
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
F. Sánchez, The Rise of Astrophysics in Modern Spain, Astronomers’ Universe,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66426-8_12
12
Science Meets Politics: The Law
of Astrophysics and Its Avatars
(1975–2011)
By the mid-seventies we had made quite a lot of progress with regard to the
juridico–administrative status of astrophysics in the Canary Islands. It was
one of our key strategic objectives, but much still remained to be done. I now
describe how the task was completed and the difficulties we still face today in
maintaining this particular form of identity.
First of all, it was vital to prevent the newborn discipline of astrophysics in
the Canaries from being swallowed up and lost in the centralizing whirlpool
of CSIC or some other Madrid-based body. We achieved this by following a
two-pronged strategy: (1) founding the University Institute of Astrophysics of
the University of La Laguna, which incorporated Teide Observatory, and (2)
simultaneously creating, through the Provincial Inter-island Association of
Cabildos of the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the Astrophysics Institute
of the Association of Cabildos, so that lands could be ceded for what was to
become Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.
In 1975 a further step forward was taken towards administrative consolidation by unifying all astrophysical activity in the islands under a single entity,
of which CSIC, a scientific body of national status, would be simply one
member more participating in this major astrophysical project. All this formed
part of an agreement of cooperation signed in Madrid, in the presence of the
Minister for Education and Science, by the Chancellor of the University of La
Laguna, the President of the Provincial Inter-island Association of Cabildos of
the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and CSIC. This new entity was called
the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC).
But the decisive step was finally taken in the eighties, when the Instituto de
Astrofísica de Canarias was granted by law ‘juridical personality with full