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Artistic rendering of a young planetary system seen from within the protoplanetary disc. In the foreground, a planet orbits within a vast, flattened disc of gas and dust, shown in swirling shades of orange, yellow, and white. The planet appears to be carving a dark, circular gap into the disc. A smaller bright star shines at the centre, surrounded by concentric rings. Pebble-sized particles are visible near the planet's orbit, giving a sense of depth and motion.

Science highlight 3/2025: Webb reveals the origin of the ultra-hot exoplanet WASP-121b

June 02, 2025 The detection of atmospheric methane and silicon suggests that it originated in a region analogous to the Solar System’s domain of gas and ice giants.

June 23, 2025

Science highlight 2/2025: Astronomy’s dirty window to space

March 13, 2025 Researchers reconstruct detailed map of dust in the Milky Way

A vivid image of the spiral galaxy Messier 77 (M77), also known as NGC 1068. The galaxy exhibits an impressive structure with a brightly glowing centre and spiralling arms extending far into space. The spiral arms are highlighted by pink and red regions, representing areas of active star formation. The galaxy is surrounded by countless small points of light, representing distant stars and galaxies. In the foreground, a bright, star-like point shines on the left side of the galaxy. The galaxy's colours range from white and blue in the centre to reddish hues in the outer regions.

Science highlight 1/2025: Zooming in on a supermassive black hole in action

January 17, 2025 A new type of observation reveals what makes the cores of active galaxies glow.

The image depicts an artistic rendering of a bright blazar, a supermassive black hole at the center of a distant galaxy, ejecting high-energy matter in the form of jets into space. The blazar appears as a glowing point of light with bluish-white rays scattering in various directions. In the background, a field of stars is visible, while the lower part of the image shows a portion of the Milky Way or another galaxy with brown and white gradients.

Science highlight 15/2024: Record discovery points to particle jets, support for rapid black hole formation, in the early universe

December 17, 2024 Astronomers have discovered an important piece of the puzzle of how supermassive black holes were able to grow so quickly in the early universe.

Departments

Planet and Star Formation

We study the formation of stars on all scales and the birth of planetary systems and their evolution. The Department established observational programs to search for extrasolar planets and to…

Galaxies and Cosmology

Directly after the Big Bang, the universe was very simple and almost without structure. In the present universe, we see galaxies of various shapes and forms, aligned on an intricate weave of dark…

Atmospheric Physics of Exoplanets (APEx)

We are in the midst of a revolution in the study of extrasolar planets. Thousands of recent discoveries have revealed that planets are common — most stars host at least one — and they show much…

Astrophysical Spectroscopy and Stellar Populations

Dr. Maria Bergemann

Astronomy is a fascinating subject, and the astronomers at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy see it as their responsibility to reach out to the general public, to teachers and pupils, and to the media.

Sterne und Weltraum

The magazine »Sterne und Weltraum« (Stars and Space) is the most widely circulated popular scientific astronomy magazine in the German-speaking countries. It was founded in Heidelberg over 60 years ago.

Videos

The Institute has produced a number of videos on various aspects of activities at MPIA. Among them are videos on astronomical research and instrumentation technology. Other videos feature the MPIA directors and provide information for the public.

Science highlight 3/2025: Webb reveals the origin of the ultra-hot exoplanet WASP-121b

Science highlight 2/2025: Astronomy’s dirty window to space

Science highlight 1/2025: Zooming in on a supermassive black hole in action

Science highlight 15/2024: Record discovery points to particle jets, support for rapid black hole formation, in the early universe

Departments

Planet and Star Formation

Galaxies and Cosmology

Atmospheric Physics of Exoplanets (APEx)

Independent Research Groups

Emeritus Research Group

Galactic Nuclei Group

Astrophysical Spectroscopy and Stellar Populations

ExoWorlds Imaging

Public outreach

Astronomy for the Public

Sterne und Weltraum

Videos

Social media