APEX News

MPIfR News

  • From the Effelsberg Radio Telescope to the Institute for Space Systems (IRS)
    on 2026-07-09 at 14:00

    The Milky Way Trail Makes a Stop at the University of Stuttgart

  • The Milky Way Trail leads to the  Friedrich-Ebert-Gymnasium in Bonn
    on 2026-07-07 at 12:36

    Extension of the hiking trail from the Effelsberg Radio Telescope to the Draco Galaxy

  • A Nearby Black Hole as a Window into the Early Universe
    on 2026-07-03 at 06:00

    The black hole at the centre of a nearby galaxy is growing exceptionally fast, and is producing a burst of radio emission that has never been observed before. With characteristics that are expected in the early Universe, this unique galaxy provides important insights into the processes that governed the growth of the first black holes.

  • How interstellar turbulence distorts radio light
    on 2026-05-13 at 17:24

    An international research team, including scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, has directly observed how turbulence in the interstellar medium distorts the radio light from a distant object. These findings will enable sharper images in the future, for example of the extremely massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.Understanding turbulence is also important for explaining how energy moves through the galaxy and how gas behaves before it collapses to form new stars (Press release from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA), May 13, 2026).

  • A twinkling pulsar reveals invisible structures in space
    on 2026-05-13 at 10:00

    Fluctuations in brightness and the elongated appearance of a stellar remnant indicate that its radiation is being scattered within an unidentified interstellar cloud located 430 light-years from Earth.

ESO News

  • Faintest planet ever imaged from Earth found after more than 10 years of hide-and-seek
    on 2026-07-15 at 12:00

    A team of astronomers have discovered a third planet orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. The new planet, Beta Pictoris d, is 100 times fainter than Beta Pictoris b — the first planet discovered in the same system — and is among the lightest exoplanets ever to be imaged from the ground. After spotting the planet using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), the team found it had been hiding in archive observations spanning more than a decade.

  • Older than the Sun: Astronomers find new clues to the origin of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
    on 2026-07-06 at 09:00

    Astronomers have used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) to study the composition of 3I/ATLAS, the brightest interstellar object ever seen, in detail. By measuring specific chemical fingerprints — the first observations of this kind for a comet that formed outside the Solar System — they found that 3I/ATLAS likely originated in the outskirts of an old star system. The findings shine new light on the formation history of this comet, indicating that it may be much older than the Sun.

  • "Beyond the limit": one million satellites and mirrors in space pose grave threat to the night sky
    on 2026-07-01 at 12:00

    A new European Southern Observatory (ESO) study has found that current proposals to launch over 1.7 million satellites into orbit, including extremely bright ones, would have “devastating consequences for astronomy.” According to the study, no more than 100 000 faint satellites, below naked eye visibility, should orbit Earth, to safeguard our ability to observe the night sky with modern telescopes. The study is the first to compute the extent to which large and bright satellite constellations — which have also raised concerns about their impacts on health and the environment — would affect astronomical observations by making the night sky brighter.

  • Strange winds reveal strongest hints yet of magnetic activity in exoplanets
    on 2026-06-02 at 09:00

    A team of astronomers has found the strongest evidence yet that some planets outside our Solar System may be magnetic. Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) and the Gemini North telescope, the researchers measured wind speeds on seven very hot, Jupiter-like exoplanets. The observations revealed that the winds on these planets are most likely governed by magnetic fields, providing the first robust measurement of magnetism on planets outside the Solar System.

  • First light for PoET: shining (sun)light on exoplanet research
    on 2026-04-09 at 12:00

    The Paranal solar ESPRESSO Telescope (PoET), installed at the European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) Paranal site in Chile, has made its first observations. The telescope will work with ESO's ESPRESSO instrument to study the Sun in detail. Described as a solar telescope for planet hunters, PoET aims to understand how the variation in the light from stars like the Sun can mask the presence of planets orbiting them, helping us in our search for worlds outside the Solar System.