Rafael Bachiller, astronomer: "Those who do not know science will not be able to participate in the great debates of our time"

The readers of EL MUNDO can enjoy every weekend its exciting chronicles of the cosmos and its very practical appointments with the sky, which allow anyone to easily observe all kinds of astronomical phenomena, from meteor showers to eclipses passing through the conjunctions of planets

Rafael Bachiller (Madrid, 1957), director of the National Astronomical Observatory (IGN), masterfully combines dissemination with research – he has published more than 350 scientific studies in leading journals, especially linked to the area in which he has specialized, the formation of stars similar to our sun – and his responsibilities as a representative of the organization he directs, and which lead him to travel frequently around the world.

An outreach work that was recognized yesterday by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the BBVA Foundation, which awarded him its Scientific Communication Award, in the category of researchers, which he shared with the chroniclers of the Geological and Mining Institute (IGME- CSIC) that informed citizens during the three months that the volcanic eruption lasted on La Palma.

You dedicate a good part of your time to disseminate science, why do you consider it so important to transmit scientific knowledge to society? Firstly, because it is an obligation of the scientific community to explain well how the funds that come from the taxpayer are spent. And, on the other hand, because all the great issues and debates of the moment are scientific and the citizen of a democratic society must know how to express an opinion on them: artificial intelligence, the current drought, the possible effects of a nuclear confrontation…. You need to have a minimum scientific culture, and the scientific world has the obligation to provide it. In the same way that those who cultivate the humanities -in the traditional sense of the term- do not expect us all to deal exclusively with them, I do not claim that citizens just worry about science. But whoever does not know science today will not be able to participate in the great debates of our time, nor in the great decisions, they will be left behind in the tumultuous current of the 21st century.
He reconciles his research and the direction of the National Astronomical Observatory, attending meetings and gatherings with his colleagues, with disclosure to a non-specialized public.. What difficulties do you find when it comes to combining all these tasks and changing the registry? Many researchers look with some condescension on dissemination tasks and, therefore, on colleagues who dedicate time and effort to this task. But the world is also changing in this. For a short time, the best calls for research projects require that a program for the dissemination of results in different fields be considered.. It is becoming more and more evident that science that is not explained, that which is not disseminated, has no value.. A research paper does not end until it has been properly communicated and disseminated. That is why I am happy dedicating a good part of my free time to this task.. I have friends who spend their weekends golfing or dancing. For me, reading and popular science are just as respectable hobbies, they are also very entertaining and rewarding.
Do you think that Spanish society, in general, is interested in science?
According to a recent study by the BBVA Foundation, there is enormous interest in science in our country and this interest is growing and higher than that shown in neighboring countries. Unfortunately, however, our average level of scientific literacy is rather low.. And it is that getting informed in science requires a certain effort, and in today's society there is a very varied offer of easy leisure. To compete with this type of leisure, the science popularizer must strive to be clear, concise and attractive.. But you should never renounce scientific rigor or communicate the limitations of science. How did you receive this prize for scientific communication? All prizes are important, especially in this Spain of ours that is so reluctant to recognize personal merits. But, in this case, it has an extraordinary dimension because it comes from the largest national scientific institution (the CSIC, of which I am not a part since my institution is the National Geographic Institute) and from the FBBVA, which carries out exemplary work of the highest level. in the dissemination of science. Both institutions have a very broad international reach and prestige. For me, there can be no better prize.

.