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Simulating the birth, life and dispersal of galactic star clusters

Elliptical galaxy at the center of a galaxy cluster with inset showing detailed structure.

Euclid discovers a stunning Einstein ring

Debugging Galaxy Evolution with L-GALAXIES

Researchers capture direct high-definition image of the “Cosmic Web”

Towards direct observation of large samples of intergalactic filaments in the early universe

Field-Level Inference: Unlocking the Full Potential of Galaxy Maps to Explore New Physics

Rapidly merging stars and black holes

How galaxies make black holes collide

News at MPA

MPA launches Mentorship Program to support aspiring astronomers

February 12, 2025

The Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) is excited to announce the launch of its new Mentorship Program, designed to connect aspiring astronomers from underrepresented groups with researchers at the institute. This initiative aims to increase diversity and inclusion in theoretical and computational astrophysics, offering participants valuable guidance and insights into the field.

Prime Focus Spectrograph on Subaru Telescope to begin scientific operations in February

January 13, 2025

Researchers have finished equipping the Subaru Telescope with a new special “compound eye” culminating several years of effort. This new instrument features approximately 2,400 fibers scattered across the extremely wide field of view available at the Subaru Telescope’s primary focus, allowing for simultaneous spectroscopic observation of thousands of celestial objects. This unrivaled capability will help researchers precisely understand the formation and evolution of galaxies and the Universe once it begins scientific operations in February 2025.

Gold for MPA Gender Equality Plan

December 11, 2024

The MPG Commission »Quality Management of Max Planck Gender Equality Plans (GEP)« awarded the Gold label to MPA’s plan, for meeting the Max Planck standards – comprehensiveness, institute-specific and sustainability – to an outstanding degree. The MPA presents an excellent gender equality strategy, which, among other things, impresses with a comprehensive inventory, a stringent, data-based selection of fields of action, goals and measures, and a comprehensive portfolio of measures.

All news

March 2025

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The underrepresentation of women in computational astrophysics

Mar 5, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (Local Time Germany)

High-energy limits of AdS string amplitudes

Mar 5, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Adaptive optics for ocular imaging

Mar 5, 2025 from 12:30 PM to 01:30 PM (Local Time Germany)

Title 1: SISSI: Supernovae in a Stratified, Shearing Interstellar Medium; Title 2: The importance of stellar evolution at cosmic dawn

Mar 5, 2025 from 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Expanding a bona fide sample of intermediate-mass black holes in active galactic nuclei

Mar 5, 2025 from 02:30 PM to 03:30 PM (Local Time Germany)

X-ray polarimetry of supernova remnants

Mar 6, 2025 from 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

ESO P116 observing proposals discussion – bring your proposals for feedback!

Mar 17, 2025 from 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Where it all begins: protostars contain the icy ingredients crucial for the genesis of habitable planets.

Mar 17, 2025 from 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

The mass distribution in and around the Local Group of galaxies

Mar 17, 2025 from 03:30 PM to 04:30 PM (Local Time Germany)

Breaking BIAS Konferenz

Mar 18, 2025 from 09:00 AM to 06:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Title 1: MHD turbulence from idealized boxes to exascale simulations of the ICM; Title 2: Backreaction and cosmic butterflies: a non-perturbative glimpse into the small-scale physics of inflation

Mar 18, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Hunting for AGNs in Low-Stellar-Mass Galaxies

Mar 18, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Insights on protoplanetary disks from magnetospheric accretion

Mar 18, 2025 from 03:00 PM to 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Athena PK Tutorial

Mar 19, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Performance portable (astrophysical) simulations (on GPUs): theory and practice"

Mar 19, 2025 from 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Inferring galaxy properties via multi-task neural nets with probabilistic outputs

Mar 19, 2025 from 03:00 PM to 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Astrophysical turbulent plasmas as extreme particle accelerators and sources of very high-energy neutrinos

Mar 20, 2025 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM (Local Time Germany)

Mass flows in the Galactic Center by supernovae of the circumnuclear disk

Mar 20, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

The intrinsic alignment of galaxies: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Mar 20, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Infrared surveys - looking at the sky beyond the limits of the human eye

Mar 20, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

The effect of high-energy particles on exoplanetary atmospheres

Mar 20, 2025 from 03:15 PM to 04:15 PM (Local Time Germany)

Upcoming seminars

Athena PK Tutorial

Mar 19, 2025 11:00 AM - 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

MPA, Room: MPA Old Lecture Hall 401

Performance portable (astrophysical) simulations (on GPUs): theory and practice"

Mar 19, 2025 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

MPA, Garching, Room: MPA Room 006

Inferring galaxy properties via multi-task neural nets with probabilistic outputs

Mar 19, 2025 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

online only

Astrophysical turbulent plasmas as extreme particle accelerators and sources of very high-energy neutrinos

Mar 20, 2025 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Local Time Germany)

IPP, Garching, Room: IPP, L7A/121 and online

Mass flows in the Galactic Center by supernovae of the circumnuclear disk

Mar 20, 2025 11:00 AM - 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

MPA, Garching, Room: MPA Old Lecture Hall 401

The intrinsic alignment of galaxies: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Mar 20, 2025 11:00 AM - 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

MPA, Garching, Room: MPA Lecture Hall E.0.11

Infrared surveys - looking at the sky beyond the limits of the human eye

Mar 20, 2025 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

ESO Headquarters, Garching, Room: ESO Auditorium "Eridanus" and online

Job Offers

No Vacancies

Meet our MPA fellows

Spirals, waves and gliding along

September 06, 2023

While concerned with massive objects such as neutron stars and black holes in her work, Martyna Chruslinska loves the lightweight feeling of figure skating in her spare time.

A look back forward

2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Max Planck Society. On February 26, 1948, in Göttingen, the proven concept of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society as a successful model of non-university research funding was rescued for the young Federal Republic, but also changed in a forward-looking way. Both are the basis of the MPG in its present form and success. The anniversary is celebrated as the most important caesura within the history of the MPG, which goes back to 1911, and at the same time sets the course for the future viability of the society, which must be discussed again and again.
Find out more in the MAX Intranet:

Structure

Managing Director
Prof. Dr. Eiichiro Komatsu

Scientific Members, Kollegium, Directors
Prof. Dr. Selma E. de Mink
Prof. Dr. Guinevere Kauffmann
Prof. Dr. Eiichiro Komatsu
Prof. Dr. Volker Springel

Emeritus Directors
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hillebrandt
Prof. Dr. Rashid Sunyaev
Prof. Dr. Simon White

External Scientific Members
Prof. Dr. Rolf-Peter Kudritzki
Prof. Dr. Werner Tscharnuter

Head of the administration
Pia Fischhaber

Contact

Press and Public Relations
Dr. Hannelore Haemmerle
Phone: 089 30000-3980
email: pr@mpa-garching.mpg.de

Dr. Hans-Thomas Janka
Phone: 089 30000-2228
(contact per phone only)

Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching
Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1
Postfach 1317
D-85741 Garching, Germany

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