41.1506°N -8.6387°W The Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (Centre for Astrophysics of the University of Porto - CAUP) is a private, non-profit scientific association, recognized as being of public utility by the Portuguese Government.[1] It was created in May of 1989 by the Universidade do Porto.
Its objectives include the promotion and support of astronomy through
CAUP is responsible for the scientific management of the Porto Planetarium.[6]
CAUP's research activity is developed through the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA), an R&D unit registered in Portugal's Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT), which resulted from the merger of the two most prominent research units in the field in Portugal: CAUP, at the University of Porto, and the Centro de Astronomia e Astrofísica da Universidade de Lisboa (CAAUL), at the University of Lisbon. In 2021, IA expanded with the creation of the University of Coimbra pole.
IA's research is organized in the following groups:
Through its Outreach Unit, CAUP promotes science communication activities aimed at schools, the general public and media. It is a part of IA's Science Communication Group and CAUP is responsible for managing the Porto Planetarium - Ciência Viva Center.