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Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy

Auf dem Hügel 69
D-53121 Bonn - Endenich

Research Departments

Fundamental Physics in Radio Astronomy
(Michael Kramer)

Radio astronomical measurements allow the study of a variety of questions in fundamental physics. Those questions range from the equation-of-state of super-dense matter to the investigation of fundamental forces such as gravity and magnetism.

Millimeter and Submillimeter Astronomy
(Karl Menten)

The research team uses the millimetre- and sub-millimetre range of the electromagnetic spectrum to observe various phenomena in the universe. The cosmic background radiation is also being investigated, as well as molecular clouds in the Milky Way and other galaxies.

Star Formation and Galaxy Evolution
(Amélie Saintonge)

Galaxies grow and evolve through successive episodes of star formation; central to this picture are therefore the flows of gas that feed the interstellar medium, the processes that regulate the formation of stars, and the energetic feedback that returns material and energy to the larger scale environment.

Radio Astronomy / VLBI
(Anton Zensus)

By employing radio-interferometry, extragalactic objects and their centres are investigated in great detail. The Very Long Base Line Interferometry (VLBI) method is applied by correlating data from telescopes distributed worldwide and using them as a “giant“ combined telescope within the framework of coordinated arrays as the the European VLBI network (EVN). In addition, global VLBI experiments are conducted in cooperation with telescopes in the USA.

Research News

Accelerating jets from black holes

March 24, 2025

An international team of researchers used multi-wavelength observations of active galactic nuclei to study how black holes launch relativistic jets. The sixteen sources were observed with the Event Horizon Telescope during its first campaign in 2017 ...

The Highest Energy Neutrino Ever Observed

February 12, 2025

From the abyss of the Mediterranean Sea, scientists including astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, used the KM3NeT neutrino telescope to detect a cosmic neutrino with a record-breaking energy of about 220 ...

Announcements

Wacken Open Air reaches for the stars

July 17, 2025

WACKEN OPEN AIR is expanding its 2025 festival program to include a space camp with partners from the fields of space travel and astronomy. Participants include the Astronomical Society (AG), the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR), the ...

Gravity Tests with the Double Pulsar Honoured

July 16, 2025

The research paper “Strong-Field Gravity Tests with the Double Pulsar” by an international research team with Michael Kramer (Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, MPIfR) as leading author, with additional authors from MPIfR and colleagues from ...

Job Offers

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