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The Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) is dedicated to astrophysical questions ranging from the exploration of our Sun to the evolution of the cosmos. It focuses on the study of stellar, solar and exoplanetary physics, extragalactic astrophysics and the development of research technologies in the fields of spectroscopy, robotic telescopes and E-science.
Last November 4th a contract was signed to fund the conceptual study of a new telescope, the Wide Field Spectroscopic Telescope (WST), which could potentially become operational in Chile after 2040. The consortium leading the WST project will receive three million euros to fund a detailed conceptual study over the next three years, from 2025 to 2027.
In honour of Prof. Dr. Johann Wempe (1906 – 1980), the last director of the former Astrophysical Observatory of Potsdam (AOP), the AIP grants the Johann Wempe Award to outstanding scientists. Applications and nominations are accepted until 31st January 2025.
Galaxies are fundamental cosmic building blocks. At the largest scales, they serve as markers to study the distribution of matter in the universe - active galaxies and quasars are particularly important because of their intrinsic brightness. Nearby objects can be spatially resolved and consist of populations with very different patterns of motion, star formation histories and chemical abundances.
Cosmic events are determined by two natural forces: gravity and magnetic fields. The magnetic field research at the AIP is mainly focused on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, the magnetically induced activities on the Sun and the stars, solar coronaphysics as well as space weather in our solar system and on planets around other stars.
Katja Poppenhäger has been named the new Director of the research field ’Stellar, Solar and Exoplanetary Physics’ at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP). With her extensive international experience in exoplanet research, she is strengthening AIP's profile and establishing new priorities.
The AIP application in the 2024 Leibniz Competition entitled “InSpecT” has been successfully approved. “InSpecT” will focus on the development of innovative fiber positioning systems for large telescopes. In the future, “InSpecT” will enable large-scale spectroscopic surveys of over 400 million stars and galaxies.
Last November 4th a contract was signed to fund the conceptual study of a new telescope, the Wide Field Spectroscopic Telescope (WST), which could potentially become operational in Chile after 2040. The consortium leading the WST project will receive three million euros.
For the next Virtual Babelsberg Starry Nights of the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) we offer two lectures: ‘How galaxies challenge the dark matter model’ (German) by Marcel Pawlowski and ‘Intermediate mass black holes - the missing piece’ by Nikolay Kacharov.
A Rapid Sequence of Solar Energetic Particle Events Associated with a Series of Extreme-ultraviolet Jets: Solar Orbiter, STEREO-A, and Near-Earth Spacecraft Observations
Lario, D., ... Warmuth, A., ...
The Astrophysical Journal, 975, 1, 84 – Published November 2024
The German MHD Days were initiated in Potsdam in 1997 as a forum for theoretical research problems in magnetohydrodynamics, predominantly in astrophysics and geophysics. Since many of the problems are of fundamental nature, links to liquid metal phenomena, turbulence, convection and rotation of fluids have been in the scope of the meeting since.