The National Institute for Astrophysics (Italian: Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, or INAF) is the most important Italian institution conducting scientific research in astronomy and astrophysics. Research performed by the scientific staff of the Institute ranges from the study of the planets and minor bodies of the Solar system up to the large-scale structure of the Universe and groups and clusters of galaxies on cosmological scales.
INAF coordinates the activities of twenty research units, nineteen in Italy and one in Spain:
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)
INAF is involved in scientific collaborations with several international institutions, among which we mention:
the European Southern Observatory (Italy has been an ESO member since 1982)
the astronomical observatories located in Canary Islands (Teide Observatory and Roque de los Muchachos Observatory)
the Large Binocular Telescope, in partnership with the United States and Germany
the Very Long Baseline Interferometry consortium
the European Space Agency (ESA)
the American National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA)
Giovanni Fabrizio Bignami, president of INAF since 2011
