Astrophysics

Rays of light lead from an orange disc with a bright yellow centre at the bottom right into the upper left half of the picture, which is criss-crossed by differently coloured streaks against a background of stars.

Planets like our Earth, including planets with water, could form even in the harshest known star-forming environments, drenched by hard UV light from massive stars. more

Observation of multiple ringdown modes in a black hole merger more

Large, full-size yellow-red glowing fireball against a black background with a smaller, similar-looking ball standing in the centre left of the large ball

Data of the James Webb Space Telescope contain signatures of water vapour, sulfur dioxide and sand clouds more

A computer simulation of a disk of plasma around the supermassive black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy. A new analysis of the circularly polarized, or spiraling light, in EHT observations shows that magnetic fields near the black hole are strong. These magnetic fields push back on infalling matter and help launch jets of matter at velocities near the speed of light out.

New measurements from the Event Horizon Telescope confirm strong magnetic fields around supermassive black hole at the centre of galaxy M87 more

A tidy-looking picture with elliptical, bluish glowing spots of various sizes in the foreground, some with recognisable structures reminiscent of a vortex, against a black background with scattered sharp, bluish dots and yellowish diffuse spots.

Euclid space telescope delivers first scientific images more

Close-up of two people in surgical clothing and FFP masks working on a shiny, bright metal apparatus. On the left of the picture is an optical lens, about the size of the palm of the hand, set in a metal frame, on the right is the metal frame on which the lens system is to be placed.

The Euclid space telescope contains technology from two Max Planck Institutes more

Black hole bends the light of the Milky Way band behind it. In the foreground, a few different coloured compass needles are distributed along an elliptical path around the black hole.

New insights into the supermassive black hole and its surroundings at the centre of the Milky Way more

Blue-pink double club with swirled structures against a black background.

With the James Webb space telescope, an international team has captured a spectacular image of the object HH211. Here, a young stellar system ejects two supersonic streams of gas, which testify to the turbulent process of star formation inside the system. more

A Smoking Gun for  Supermassive Binaries in Active Galactic Nuclei

Blazar Jet Variability probes precession caused by orbiting black holes in the centers of galaxies more

Collage of three sections of the simulation. Each section shows three sub-aspects of the simulation on three segments arranged like pieces of cake. Each part shows net-like structures with different colours: yellow to magenta (top right), grey to yellow (top left) and white on a black background (bottom).

New computer simulation of the universe as a promising multitool more

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Rays of light lead from an orange disc with a bright yellow centre at the bottom right into the upper left half of the picture, which is criss-crossed by differently coloured streaks against a background of stars.

Planets like our Earth, including planets with water, could form even in the harshest known star-forming environments, drenched by hard UV light from massive stars. more

A tidy-looking picture with elliptical, bluish glowing spots of various sizes in the foreground, some with recognisable structures reminiscent of a vortex, against a black background with scattered sharp, bluish dots and yellowish diffuse spots.

Euclid space telescope delivers first scientific images more

Blue-pink double club with swirled structures against a black background.

With the James Webb space telescope, an international team has captured a spectacular image of the object HH211. Here, a young stellar system ejects two supersonic streams of gas, which testify to the turbulent process of star formation inside the system. more

Collage of three sections of the simulation. Each section shows three sub-aspects of the simulation on three segments arranged like pieces of cake. Each part shows net-like structures with different colours: yellow to magenta (top right), grey to yellow (top left) and white on a black background (bottom).

New computer simulation of the universe as a promising multitool more

Water discovered in rocky planet-forming zone offers clues on habitability

James Webb Space Telescope observations find water for the first time in the inner disk around a young star with giant planets. more

Artist's impression of the measurement of the gravitational wave background using pulsars distributed in the Milky Way.

Precise as a clock: pulsars in the Milky Way form large-scale observatory for gravitational waves more

shiny lump against a white-grey background

How iron in meteorites could have contributed to the origin of life more

Purple disc with rays emanating vertically upwards and downwards from the disc

New observations reveal how a powerful jet forms around a black hole more

Metal-poor stars are more life-friendly

A star’s chemical composition strongly influences the chances for life on planets in its neighbourhood more

JWST peeks into the birthplaces of exoplanets

Astronomers excited by first JWST spectra of planetary cradles showing a rich and diverse chemistry more

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Close-up of two people in surgical clothing and FFP masks working on a shiny, bright metal apparatus. On the left of the picture is an optical lens, about the size of the palm of the hand, set in a metal frame, on the right is the metal frame on which the lens system is to be placed.

The Euclid space telescope contains technology from two Max Planck Institutes more

“A wonderful confirmation of our observations”

Reinhard Genzel of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics on the first image of the galactic centre more

The nebula with the dark band

The active galaxy Centaurus A has made history in radio astronomy more

Scientific highlights 2020

Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2020 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 13 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year more

“The telescope offers enormous potential”

Peter Predehl from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics on the eRosita mission more

A solar eclipse sheds light on physics

Observations of the cosmic shadow dance on 29 May 1919 substantiated a new scientific view of the world more

The backbone of the night

Like a huge spiral, the Milky Way floats in space more

“The galactic centre offers fantastic opportunities”

Interview with Reinhard Genzel on his observation of an effect of the general theory of relativity more

Migration of stars

Oscillations from the Milky Way disk seem to relocate stars to large vertical distances from their place of birth more

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The supermassive giant at the heart of the Milky Way | Interview with Prof. Reinhard Genzel

Interview with Reinhard Genzel, director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) and architect of the 30-year programme that led to the discovery of the Schwarzschild precession around the black hole at the heart of our Milky Way. Genzel describes the general relativity effect observed by his team and how it can be used to study the galactic gravity trap.Reinhard Genzel receives the Nobel Prize for Physics 2020
Digital Story: Reinhard Genzel more

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