Announcements

For the first time, scientists succeeded in taking a zoomed-in image of a dying star in a galaxy outside our own Milky Way. Located a staggering 160 000 light-years from us, the star WOH G64 was imaged thanks to the impressive sharpness offered by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO’s VLTI). The new observations reveal a star puffing out gas and dust, in the last stages before it becomes a supernova. Scientists from MPIfR in Bonn, Germany, participated in the research project (ESO Media Release, November 21, 2024). more

Another milestone for German radio astronomy has been reached: Germany has been admitted as the twelfth member of the international astronomy organisation the SKA Observatory more

Kick-off for an EU-funded project built by and for both, the astroparticle and the astronomy communities in Europe
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Observations with the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope last year showed that first generation Starlink satellites emit unintended radio waves that can hinder astronomical observations. New observations with the LOFAR radio telescope at low frequencies, have shown that the second generation ’V2-mini’ Starlink satellites emit up to 32 times brighter unintended radio waves than satellites from the previous generation, potentially blinding radio telescopes and crippling vital research of the Universe. The researchers, including MPIfR co-authors, have published their findings in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics” (ASTRON Press Release, September 18, 2024). more

A team led by Cornelia Pabst (Leiden University & CSIC Madrid) has combined data from the SOFIA research program FEEDBACK with new radio data from the 40m Yebes Observatory and the IRAM 30m telescope. FEEDBACK is based on observations with upGREAT, the German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies built by MPIfR Bonn and the University of Cologne on board SOFIA (DSI News, August 23, 2024). more

MPIfR Director receives highest award of the Astronomical Society more

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation appoints MPIfR scientist as part of the Henriette Herz Scouting Program more

How do supermassive black holes get so big? An international team of astronomers, led by Swedish astronomers and including Christian Henkel from MPIfR Bonn as co-author, discovered a powerful, rotating, magnetic wind that they believe is helping a galaxy’s central supermassive black hole to grow (NRAO Press Release, June 22, 2024). more

Head of a new research department on Star Formation and Galaxy Evolution more

The newly discovered long-period radio transient ASKAP J1935+2148 with a period of 53.8 minutes is exhibiting three distinct emission states. Observations with the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa played a crucial role in distinguishing between these states. The findings of an international research team led by Manisha Caleb from the University of Sydney and including scientists from MPIfR (Bonn, Germany) is described in this week’s issue of the journal Nature Astronomy (University of Sydney Press Release, June 05, 2024). more

First Detection of VLBI Signals across 8500 km Baseline between TNRT and Effelsberg Radio Telescopes more

The Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) is pleased to participate in the Bonn Science Night 2024 and its tent area (“Zeltstadt des Wissens”) as an exhibitor. On May 16 and 17, 2024, you will find us in Tent 14, where we will offer experiments and information on the topic "Light protection and radio waves: Astronomy, Environment and Society". The younger (or young at heart) among the visitors can take part in a quiz and win a goody bag. On May 17, Dr. Benjamin Winkel and Dr. Gyula Józsa will present a lecture, entitled “Aufruf zum Schutz des Radiohimmels und der Nacht” (Call for the protection of the radio sky and the night) at 22:15 as part of the Bonn Science Night (lecture in German language). Venue: Haus der Bildung (Mülheimer Platz in Bonn). more

The European VLBI Network (EVN) Symposium is the main forum for discussion of the latest Very Long Baseline Interferometry scientific results and technical and technological developments within the EVN member countries. The 16th EVN Symposium and Users meeting, hosted by the Max-Planck-Institut für Radiostronomie, will take place at the CJD in Bonn Castell from September 2-6, 2024. more

The interaction between the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*, and its accretion disk occasionally produces high-energy flares seen in X-ray, infrared, and radio. One proposed mechanism that produces flares is the formation of compact, bright regions that appear within the accretion disk and close to the event horizon. Understanding these flares provides a window into accretion processes. An international research team including Maciek Wielgus from MPIfR shows the first 3D reconstruction of an emission flare, showing compact, bright regions at a distance of roughly six times the event horizon and suggesting a clockwise rotation in a low-inclination orbital plane, consistent with prior studies by GRAVITY and EHT (CalTech News; Nature Astronomy, April 23, 2024). more

Classical telescopes and neutrino telescopes will allow scientists to understand extreme cosmic super-colliders more