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Starting in December 2008, MPE research highlights, prestigious awards
received by MPE members, and other events important to the MPE are
listed here.
Ewine van Dishoeck
Copyright: University Leiden
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Ewine van Dishoeck and Peter Hagoort receive prestigious prize from Dutch Academy of Sciences
This year, the Academy Professor prize of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)
is awarded to Ewine van Dishoeck, professor in molecular astrophysics at Leiden University and
external scientific member of the MPE, and Peter Hagoort, professor of cognitive neurosciences
at the Radboud University Nijmegen. The prizes, both 1 Million Euro, are meant as a lifetime
achievement award for scientists that have proven that they are at the very top of their discipline.
There are two annual prizes: one in the social sciences and humanities, the other in the natural and
technical sciences. The awards ceremony will take place on 21 June 2012.
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(April 5, 2012)
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Credit: E. M. Huff, the SDSS-III team, and the South Pole Telescope team. Graphic by Zosia
Rostomian.
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Observing the galaxy distribution when the universe was half its current age
At the UK-Germany National Astronomy Meeting NAM2012, the
Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) team today announced the most accurate
measurement yet of the distribution of galaxies between five and six billion years ago. This
was the key 'pivot' moment at which the expansion of the universe stopped slowing down
due to gravity and started to accelerate instead, due to a mysterious force dubbed
”dark energy". The nature of this ”dark energy" is one of the big mysteries in
cosmology today, and scientists need precise measurements of the expansion history of the
universe to unravel this mystery – BOSS provides this kind of data. In a set of six joint
papers presented today, the BOSS team, an international group of scientists with the
participation of the Max Planck Institute of Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany,
used these data together with previous measurements to place tight constraints on various
cosmological models.
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(March 30, 2012)
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Reinhard Genzel
Bild: MPE
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Crafoord Prize in Astronomy 2012 for Reinhard Genzel
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced today that the Crafoord Prize in
Astronomy 2012 will be jointly awarded to Reinhard Genzel from the Max Planck Institute for
Extraterrestrial Physics, Garching, and Andrea Ghez from the University of California,
Los Angeles, USA "for their observations of the stars orbiting the galactic centre,
indicating the presence of a supermassive black hole".
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(January 19, 2012)
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A simulation of the gas cloud moving towards the galactic centre. Because of the enormous gravitational
pull of the black hole, the cloud already becomes elongated along its direction of motion.
Credit: MPE
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Galactic Black Hole disrupts Gas Cloud
Over the next few years, astronomers will be able to observe first-hand how the super massive black
hole at the centre of our Milky Way is being fed: an international team of astronomers led by the
Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics has found a gas cloud that is falling towards
the black hole in the galactic centre. While some distortion due to the huge gravitational pull
of the black hole can already be seen, the gas cloud will be completely disrupted and ultimately
swallowed by the black hole, resulting in largely increased X-ray emission. The observations and
analysis are described in a Nature paper, published online on 14 December 2011.
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more incl. movies ]
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(December 14, 2011)
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ROSAT
redit: Dornier System, now EADS
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ROSAT - the end of an exceptional satellite
(1.June 1990 - 23. October 2011)
During the early morning hours of 23rd October 2011, at about 4 am CEST, the research satellite ROSAT
plunged back to Earth and disappeared - probably without a trace - in the Indian Ocean. This was the
last stage for one of the most successful satellite missions of X-ray astronomy. During its eight years
of active live, the X-ray observatory ROSAT detected more than 150 000 mainly unknown X-ray sources; some
4000 scientists from 24 countries used its data for more than 4600 papers in refereed journals, which were
cited over 140 000 times.
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more ]
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(November 14, 2011)
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Prof. Gregor Mofill (Credit: MPE)
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James-Maxwell-Prize for Gregor Morfill
This year's James Clerk Maxwell Prize in Plasma Physics goes to Professor Gregor Morfill, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. With the award, the American Physical Society (APS) recognizes Morfill's pioneering and seminal contributions to the field of dusty plasmas. The bestowal of the award will take place at the annual meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics to be held in Salt Lake City in November 2011.
The prize was established in 1975 in honour of the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell and is presented annually for outstanding contributions to plasma physics. Gregor Morfill is the first German laureate. The official citation highlights in particular his work leading to the discovery of plasma crystals, to an explanation for the complicated structure of Saturn's rings and to microgravity dusty plasma experiments conducted first on parabolic-trajectory flights and then on the International Space Station.
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(19. Juli 2011)
zum Seitenanfang
Prof. Dr. Reinhard Genzel, winner of the Karl Schwarzschild Medal of the German Astronomical Society 2011 (Credit: MPE)
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Reinhard Genzel receives Karl Schwarzschild Medal 2011
The highest honour for astronomical research in Germany, the Karl Schwarzschild Medal of the German Astronomical Society (AG), this year goes to the Garching astrophysicist Reinhard Genzel, director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. The AG bestows the award to a researcher who made a discovery with wide-reaching consequences. Genzel and teams were able to provide evidence that the centre of our Milky Way harbours a Black Hole. This Black Hole in the galactic centre is the best empirical evidence for the existence of these exotic objects that are postulated in Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.
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The stars S2 orbits around the centre of the Milky Way in less than 20 years
and comes very close to the central object. The only viable explanation for
this is a Black Hole with 4.3 million solar masses.
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(13. Juli 2011)
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This illustration shows an Ultra-Luminous InfraRed Galaxy (ULIRG) that exhibits massive outflows of
molecular gas.
Image: ESA/AOES Medialab
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Caught in the act:
Herschel detects gigantic storms sweeping entire galaxies clean
With observations from the PACS instrument on board the ESA Herschel space observatory, an
international team of scientists led by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
have found gigantic storms of molecular gas gusting in the centres of many galaxies. Some of
these massive outflows reach velocities of more than 1000 kilometres per second, i.e. thousands
of times faster than in terrestrial hurricanes. The observations show that the more active galaxies
contain stronger winds, which can blow away the entire gas reservoir in a galaxy, thereby inhibiting
both further star formation and the growth of the central black hole. This finding is the first
conclusive evidence for the importance of galactic winds in the evolution of galaxies.
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more ]
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(May 9, 2011)
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Yasuo Tanaka
Image: MPE (D. Grupe)
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Tanaka honoured as "Person of Cultural Merit"
A very high japanese accolade this year goes to Dr. Yasuo Tanaka, scientific member at the
Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, together with 16 other people chosen for
this prestigious award. The high-energy astrophysicist is not only a distinguished member of
the global scientific community; he also actively promotes the academic exchange between Japan
and foreign countries.
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more ]
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(November 2, 2010)
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Kirpal Nandra
Image: MPE
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Kirpal Nandra appointed as new Director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
The open position on the Board of Directors at the Max Planck Institute for
Extraterrestrial Physics is now filled: Kirpal Nandra joins the institute as new director and head of
the high-energy research group. His long experience in X-ray astronomy actively complements the two
other astrophysical groups at the institute that study objects such as stars, galaxies and the large
scale structure in the universe with optical, infrared and sub-millimetre astronomy.
For more information see the
For more information see the
MPE press release.
and the
Web pages of the High-Energy Astrophysics group.
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(June 10, 2010)
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Gerhard Haerendel
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Gerhard Haerendel awarded the Jean Dominique Cassini Medal
The European Geosciences Union EGU honoured Prof. Gerhard Haerendel by awarding him the Jean Dominique
Cassini Medal during the General Assembly from 2. to 7. May 2010 in Vienna, Austria. The award recognizes
Haerendel's "indispensable and prominent role in the European exploration of space". The former director
at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics also became an Honorary Member of the EGU.
An expert on space research, Haerendel has held many prominent scientific positions and was a principal
investigator of several international rocket and satellite projects. He experimented with the "barium
plasma cloud technique" in various aspects of plasma and magnetospheric physics, leading to the creation
of artificial comets. As one of the fathers of CLUSTER, Haerendel's pioneering work has provided new
insights into the understanding of plasma in space and its interaction with the solar wind.
In his award lecture, Haerendel talked about "Fascinating Plasma Structures", which attracted his particular
attention because of their observable, fine structure and complex underlying physics involving magnetic fields.
Such plasma structures can be observed in a variety of objects: in the solar corona, in cometary tails and
in the Earth's aurora.
Note:
The prestigious Jean Dominique Cassini Medal is awarded by the European Geosciences Union (EGU) for merit
and scientific achievements to scientists who have gained exceptional international standing in planetary
and space sciences. The award is named after the Italian/French astronomer and engineer who in the 17th
century observed not only the sun and planets but also studied the zodiacal light.
Links:
European Geosciences Union
Jean Dominique Cassini Medal & Honorary Membership 2010
CLUSTER-Mission
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(May 20, 2010)
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Image: S. Giodini, A. Finoguenov/MPE
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Black Holes - "Gas Blowers" of the Universe
Supermassive black holes with the mass of many millions of stars have been detected at the centre of many
large galaxies. A super-massive black hole acts like a lurking "monster" at the centre of the galaxy which
swallows the surrounding material through the intensity of its gravitational pull. X-ray observations indicate
that a large amount of energy is produced by the in-fall of matter into a black hole, and ejected in powerful
jets. Astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics have now shown that these jets
eject matter not only from their host galaxies but even the gas between the galaxy group members.
(Astrophysical Journal, 1 May 2010)
For further information see the
MPE press release.
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(April 30, 2010)
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Star forming region in the Milky Way
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Making the invisible visible
The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) partners in Germany, the U.S.A. and Italy are pleased to announce that
the first of two new innovative near-infrared cameras/spectrographs for the LBT is now available to
astronomers for scientific observations at the telescope on Mt. Graham in south-eastern Arizona. After
more than a decade of design, manufacturing and testing, the new instrument, dubbed LUCIFER 1, provides
a powerful tool to gain spectacular insights into the universe, from the Milky Way up to extremely distant
galaxies. LUCIFER 1 has been built by a consortium of German institutes and will be followed by an identical
twin instrument that will be delivered to the telescope in early 2011.
For more information see the
MPE Press Release.
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(April 21, 2010)
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(February 10, 2010)
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Reinhard Genzel
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Honorary doctorate for Reinhard Genzel
On 8th February, the oldest Dutch university in Leiden bestows a honorary doctorate on
Reinhard Genzel, astrophysicist and director at the Max Planck Institute for extraterrestrial
Physics in Garching, Germany, for his ground-breaking research into interstellar matter and the
central regions of galaxies, in particular the evidence for a black hole at the centre of our
own galaxy, and his drive to get the required innovative infrared instrumentation developed.
The ceremony will take place in the framework of the "Lustrum Dies Natalis 2010" celebration,
commemorating the university´s foundation in February 1575.
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(February 5, 2010)
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Cosmonaut Oleg Kotov with the PK-3 Plus laboratory in MIM-2, the new Russian docking and
research module.
(Credit: Image courtesy of RKK-Energia).
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Plasma Experiment celebrates its anniversary on board ISS
On 27th January 2010 the 25th series of experiments studying complex plasmas will start on board
the international space station ISS. Physicists from the Max-Planck-Institute for extraterrestrial
Physics in Garching, Germany, will use them to study fundamental structure forming processes to better
understand what happens in liquids and solids.
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more ]
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(January 27, 2010)
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Herschel-PACS images of the 'GOODS-N' field in the constellation of
Ursa Major at far-infrared wavelengths of 100 and 160 µm.
Image: MPE
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Herschel Space Telescope uncovers the sources of the Cosmic Infrared
Background
A weak cosmic infrared radiation field that reaches Earth from all
directions contains not yet deciphered messages about the evolution of
galaxies. Using first observations with the PACS Instrument on board
ESA's Herschel Space Telescope, scientists from the Max Planck Institute
for Extraterrestrial Physics and other institutions have for the first
time resolved more than half of this radiation into its constituting
sources. Observations with Herschel open the road towards understanding
the properties of these galaxies, and trace the dusty side of galaxy
evolution.
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(December 16, 2009)
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(October 14, 2009)
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Signing of contract
from left: Reichle, Wörner, Perminov
Image: MPE
High level discussion
Image: DLR
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DLR and Roscosmos sign technical agreement for X-ray telescope eROSITA
With seven X-ray eyes the eROSITA telescope will scan the Universe
for black holes and dark matter. Today board members of the German
Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Russian Federal Space agency Roscosmos
signed an agreement which defines all organisational and technical
conditions.
This contract gives the go-ahead to the Max Planck Institute for
extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, which is responsible for the
development and building of eROSITA.
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(July 18, 2009)
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The Cat's Eye nebula NGC6543 as seen by PACS
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Looking deep into the Cat's Eye with Herschel/PACS
After the surprising success of the earlier “sneak preview” of the PACS
photometer – a spectacular far-infrared colour image of the
Whirlpool Galaxy M51 – the first light observation of the spectrometer part
of the instrument was carried out on June 23.
Already, these very first data fulfill the expectations of the PACS-Team at MPE
at this point and are of unprecedented sensitivity.
"A lot of excitement is ahead of us"
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(July 10, 2009)
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Herschel satellite in orbit
Artist's view by D. Ducros, ESA, 2009
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Looking into the Nursery of Stars
After ten years of developing and building Herschel, the ESA mission will
start into space on the 14th of May. In 1.5 million kilometres distance from earth
the space probe will orbit the sun for 3½ years. With its three instruments
it will especially detect and analyse infrared radiation, which contains
information on a wide range of phenomena like the evolution of distant
galaxies and the existence of water in our solar system. Two of the three
instruments on board have been developed or co-developed by the Max Planck
Institutes for extraterrestrial Physics, Astronomy, Radio Astronomy and
Solar System Research.
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(May 04, 2009)
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The elliptical galaxies NGC 4649 (left) and NGC 4621 (right) in the Virgo
galaxy cluster. These two galaxies belong to the sample of galaxies that
Kormendy and Bender investigated.
Image: courtesy of Sloan Digital Sky Survey/WIKISKY
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Astronomers Discover Link Between Supermassive Black Holes and Galaxy
Formation
A pair of astronomers from Texas and Germany have used a telescope at The
University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory together with the
Hubble Space Telescope and many other telescopes around the world to uncover
new evidence that the largest, most massive galaxies in the universe and
the supermassive black holes at their hearts grew together over time.
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(February 02, 2009)
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The central 25 arcseconds of our Milky Way.
Image: ESO
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Unprecedented 16-Year Long Study Tracks Stars Orbiting
Milky Way Black Hole
In a 16-year long study, using several of ESO's flagship telescopes,
a team of German astronomers has produced the most detailed view ever
of the surroundings of the monster lurking at our Galaxy's heart -
a supermassive black hole. The research has unravelled the hidden
secrets of this tumultuous region by mapping the orbits of almost
30 stars, a five-fold increase over previous studies. One of the
stars has now completed a full orbit around the black hole.
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(December 10, 2008)
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MPE
Highlights
Last update: 2012-04-05 by
