Press Releases   2015/2014     2013     2012     2011     2010     2009     2008     2007     2006     2005...      Rashid Sunyaev wins 2012 Franklin Medal in Physics December 2011 On 19 December 2011 the Franklin Institute announced that the 2012 Franklin Medal in Physics goes to Rashid Sunyaev, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, for ”his monumental contributions to understanding the early universe and the properties of black holes.“ New all-sky map shows the magnetic fields of the Milky Way with the highest precision December 2011 With a unique new all-sky map, scientists at MPA have made significant progress toward measuring the magnetic field structure of the Milky Way in unprecedented detail. Specifically, the map is of a quantity known as Faraday depth, which among other things, depends strongly on the magnetic fields along a particular line of sight. To produce the map, data were combined from more than 41,000 individual measurements using a novel image reconstruction technique. Unusual explanation for peculiar stellar explosion December 2011 The so called ”Christmas Burst“, a very energetic stellar explosion that took place a year ago, might have a very unusual origin: an international team of scientists propose a new model for this gamma-ray burst (GRB). “Changing Skies” for students -- Max Planck Day at the MPA November 2011 Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Max Planck Society, Max Planck Institutes throughout Germany - including the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching - opened their doors on 11 November to welcome students. In 1911, the Kaiser Wilhelm Society was founded, which was succeeded by the Max Planck Society in 1948. Café & Kosmos — Supernovae - unravelling the mysteries of the biggest cosmic explosions November 2011 Exploding and colliding stars, seen as supernovae and cosmic gamma-ray bursts, produce the brightest and most powerful radiation outbursts in the Universe. Their observation to a distance of billions of light-years gives us information about the accelerated expansion of the cosmos. Cosmic Crashes Forging Gold September 2011 The cosmic site where the heaviest chemical elements such as lead or gold are formed is likely to be identified Biermann lectures 2011 July 2011 Adventurous Biermann lectures 2011 Rashid Sunyaev receives 2011 Kyoto Prize July 2011 The Inamori Foundation announced that this year's Kyoto prize in science goes to Prof. Rashid Sunyaev, director at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Germany, for his ”Contribution to Precise Observational Cosmology through the Theory of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Fluctuations“. Kippenhahn Prize 2011 June 2011 Rudolph Kippenhahn Prize for Rainer Moll Simon White wins Gruber Cosmology Prize June 2011 Simon White and three other astronomers Receive Gruber Cosmology Prize for Reconstructing How the Universe Grew. Girls' Day at MPA and MPE: What does an astronomer do? May 2011 In mid-April, some 40 girls came to the astronomical Max Planck Institutes in Garching to learn more about the work as a female astronomer. High Chinese Honour for Gerhard Börner January 2011 Three German scientists have been honoured by the Chinese government with the "International Science and Technology Cooperation Award". In the official ceremony on 14th January 2011 in the ”Great Hall of the People“ in Beijing, Professor Dr. Gerhard Börner from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics was presented with the high distinction in the presence of President Hu Jintao for his close scientific collaboration with China. Hendrik Spruit wins Hale Prize for solar physics January 2011 The Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society has announced that in 2011 the award of its highest honor, the George Ellery Hale Prize for achievement in solar physics, will go to Hendrik Spruit, senior scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. With this award, the SPD recognizes his "insightful and pioneering work on the structure of magnetic flux tubes and sunspots and on their interaction with the flow of energy in the solar convection zone." On the 25th anniversary of Ludwig Biermann’s death January 2011 Born 13th March 1907 in Hamm, the founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Ludwig Biermann, died 25 years ago on 12th January 1986 in Munich. Biermann’s scientific career started with his doctoral theses on ”convection zones in the interior of stars“ in Göttingen 1932; stellar structure and evolution in combination with convection were his main topics in the following years. 14 billion years of cosmic history in one January 2011 Planck mission presents first results

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