News and Recent Results

<strong>Explosion observed on a White Dwarf </strong>

When stars like our Sun use up all their fuel, they shrink to form white dwarfs. Sometimes such dead stars flare back to life in a super-hot explosion, called a “nova”, and produce a fireball of X-ray radiation. Using the eROSITA telescope on the SRG space observatory, a research team led by Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) has now been able to observe such an explosion of X-ray light for the very first time. more

<p>eROSITA witnesses the awakening of massive black holes</p>

Using the SRG/eROSITA all-sky survey data, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics have found two previously quiescent galaxies that now show quasi-periodic eruptions. The nuclei of these galaxies light up in X-rays every few hours, reaching peak luminosities comparable to that of an entire galaxy. The origin of this pulsating behaviour is unclear. A possible cause is a stellar object orbiting the central black hole. As these galaxies are relatively close and small, this discovery could help scientists to better understand how black holes are activated in low-mass galaxies. more

<p>eROSITA finds large-scale bubbles in the halo of the Milky Way</p>

Gigantic hot-gas structures above and below the galactic disc are probably due to shock waves generated by past energetic activity in the center of our Galaxy. more

<p>The twisted jet and the weakly polarised nucleus in M87</p>

A study led by Alejandra Yrupe Fresco (Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics) during her stay at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has revealed the dim core and the jet structure in the nuclear region of M87, the brightest galaxy in the Virgo cluster. The observations were acquired in early April 2017, almost simultaneously with the Event Horizon Telescope campaign that delivered the world famous first image of the event horizon in a black hole in the nucleus of the galaxy M87. more

Our deepest view of the X-ray sky

The eROSITA telescope has provided a new, sharp view of hot and energetic processes across the Universe. more

Presskit for the eROSITA First All-Sky Survey

Additional images from the first all-sky survey by the eROSITA X-ray telescope.
You are free to use the images for your eROSITA reporting, please give the appropriate credit with each image. more

First sighting of hot gas sloshing in galaxy cluster

X-ray observatory XMM-Newton shows large scale plasma motion more

With the start of the SRG all-sky survey, eROSITA promises most accurate maps of the X-ray sky ever

Launched from Baikonur on July 13th 2019 to the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2), the Russian-German SRG mission has now started its main task. On December 8th, after an extensive program of commissioning, calibration and performance verification of its two X-ray telescopes (ART-XC and eROSITA), the satellite has begun observing the sky in continuous scanning mode. As SRG follows the revolution of Earth, and hence also of the L2 point, around the Sun, it will perform eight complete surveys of the whole sky, one every six months, for the next 4 years. Pre-launch predictions suggest that, over that time, the eROSITA instrument, conceived, designed and built at MPE, should discover approximately 100,000 clusters of galaxies, around 3 million accreting supermassive black holes and half a million active stars. more

eROSITA delivers first stunning images

Observations with eRosita promise a breakthrough in our understanding of the energetic universe more

Press-Kit for eROSITA First Light

First Light images by the eROSITA X-ray telescope.
You are free to use the images for your eROSITA reporting, please give the appropriate copyright with each image. more

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Forschungsbericht 2014 - Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik
Our Solar System in X-rays – a novel view of our cosmic home
Solar system X-ray research has experienced a boost during the last two decades. Before 1996, Sun, Earth, Moon, and Jupiter were the only solar system X-ray sources known. Since then, this number has considerably increased, including now also Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, the Jovian moons Io and Europa, the Io plasma torus, the rings of Saturn, two asteroids, as well as comets as an unexpected new class, and even the heliosphere itself. This article outlines the sequence of discoveries, describes how the X-ray emissions originate, explains their importance, and concludes with an outlook. more

A Window to the Past:

In the following frame, all news  from the High-Energy Astrophysics group before February 2011 are made available in the format prior to the release of the new MPE web site.

Please be aware that some of the links may not be functioning anymore!

 

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