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The Universe, Yours to Discover
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) launched 2009 as the
International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) under the theme, The Universe,
Yours to Discover. IYA2009 marks the 400th anniversary of the first
astronomical observation through a telescope by Galileo Galilei. It
will be a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to
society and culture, with a strong emphasis on education, public
engagement and the involvement of young people, with events at national,
regional and global levels throughout the whole of 2009. UNESCO has
endorsed the IYA2009 and the United Nations proclaimed the year 2009 as
the International Year of Astronomy on 20 December 2007.
MPE/MPA press release International Year of Astronomy 2009 (in German)
MPE and other institutes of the Garching campus participate in the
activities for IYA 2009 and have initiated own projects.
Cosmology Exhibition "Evolution of the Universe" in the Deutsche Museum
MPE and MPA Videos
Series of Articles in "Sterne und Weltraum"
Open House 2009
Girls' Day 2009
Opening Ceremony in Berlin on January 20, 2009
Cosmology Exhibition "Evolution of the Universe" in the Deutsche Museum
A journey through time and space in our cosmos at the Deutsches Museum Munich
The international year of astronomy 2009 bids farewell in a dazzling finale:
The exhibition "Evolution of the Universe", which was initiated and implemented
by local area research institutes, opened on 9 December 2009 at the Deutsches
Museum in Munich. During the following two years the exhibition will be openly
accessible to all visitors of the Deutsches Museum. A festive opening ceremony
was held in the evening hours of 8 December 2009.
From the Big Bang to the future fate of the Universe
The exhibition takes the visitor on a journey through time, starting 13.7 billion
years ago and ending with a glimpse of the future fate of the Universe. Along the
way, the visitor finds out how space, time, matter and the largest structures of
the Universe have formed. An excursion into today's Universe explains the life
cycle of stars, galaxy formation and evolution - and the role black holes play
in the process.
The exhibition takes advantage of insights from astronomy, astro-, nuclear-,
and particle physics to explain the evolutionary history of the Universe from
different vantage points. Graphical media such as video clips and posters are
used to descriptively depict the current status of modern fundamental research.
Experiments that encourage the participation of the visitor explain what we can
learn from the cosmic microwave background radiation, how important dark matter is,
and why there is any oxygen, iron, and gold on Earth.
The exhibition "Evolution of the Universe" was initiated and implemented by local
research institutes in Munich and Garching:
 Exzellenzcluster Universe
European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik (MPA)
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE)
Max-Planck-Institut für Physik (MPP)
Opening hours
The
Deutsche Museum
opens daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Address
Museumsinsel 1
80538 München
Phone: (089) 2179 1
Fax: (089) 2179 324
Automatic phone service: (089) 2179 433
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Concept of the Exhibition
(Pictures: Die Werft, München)
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Hands-on demonstation of gravitational lenses
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Large Hadron Collider (LHC) cross section
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Contact person at MPE:
W. Collmar
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MPE and MPA Vodcasts and Videos
On January 29, 2009 our first video podcast was produced at the MPE,
kick-off of a series of five to ten short films on our institute
and our neighbour
MPA.
The topics will be our main scientific results,
but also the institutes themselves with their particular corporate
identity, their unique research atmosphere and, most importantly, the
persons who meet here every day and collaborate with each other.
The vodcasts will be distributed via our own channel at YouTube and
MünchenVideo, and we hope that they will reach many young people
there who didn't come into touch with astrophysics before.
First MPA Vodcast (in German)
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First MPE Vodcast - The Galactic Center
At the premiere Stefan Gillessen, Frank Eisenhauer and Mona Clerico (MPE)
together with Jörg Lüning and presenter Sabrina Bachmann (Video München)
used their best endeavours to put the black hole in the centre of our
galaxy in perspective.
First Vodcast and pictures taken during the filming
(in German)
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Second MPE Vodcast - Herschel / PACS
The second MPE video podcast introduces the Herschel Space Observatory, the
Herschel instrument PACS (Photodetector Array Camera & Spectrometer),
developed and built at MPE, and the PACS team. The viewer gains insight into
the operations of technicians and scientists in the MPE cleanroom, laboratory
and control centre, which had to be put into this project in order to make
Herschel/PACS ready to study the evolution of stars. The vodcast captures
the mood before launch and gives an impression of the hopes that MPE scientists
connect with the largest space telescope ever built.
Second MPE Vodcast (in German)
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Third MPE Vodcast - Black Holes
The third MPE vodcast deals with exciting new findings about black
holes. The viewer learns what is meant by "tidal disruption", why
two black holes merge and how it is possible for black holes to leave
their parent galaxies.
NASA and MPE computer animations visualise these events.
Third MPE Vodcast (in German)
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Series of Articles in "Sterne und Weltraum"
During a meeting of the public relations officers of all astronomical Max
Planck Institutes at the MPE in May 2008 a joint series of articles in the
periodical "Sterne und Weltraum" was decided on for the Year of Astronomy.
The Max Planck Institutes for extraterrestrial Physics, Astrophysics, Astronomy,
Gravitational Physics, Radio Astronomy and Solar System Research each contribute
one article to the series, which afterwards is supplemented with didactic
materials and used by the institutes for their public outreach work in schools.
Meanwhile the first contributions and teaching materials have been published on
the platform "Wissenschaft in die Schulen!" ("Science into the schools!") for
free download by interested teachers:
Project "Wissenschaft in die Schulen" (in German language)
articles on astronomy in the project (in German language)
Das Schwarze Loch im Zentrum der Milchstraße (in German language)
Gravitation, Potentialtrichter und Schwarze Löcher (in German language)
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Open House 2009
On October 24, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 18 p.m.
the MPE opened its doors for the public and gave the opportunity
to experience research "live". A tour through the institute lead
to 14 stations where visitors could gain insight into our work. A program
for kids and teenagers was offered, where cosmonautics and astronomy
were imparted in a playful way.
More than 3000 persons visited the MPE!
[ Pictures and more ]
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Seitenanfang
Girls' Day 2009
The MPE participated in the 2009 joint MPA/MPE Girls' Day (23/04/2009)
with the objective of interesting young women in astrophysics and
extraterrestrial physics and of encouraging them to decide for this
male-dominated career.
This event is part of an initiative on a national level which aims at
giving girls insight into occupational fields which are very rarely
chosen by women.
At the MPE the girls conducted an experiment with plasma crystals,
studied the light with spectrographs, constructed a mechanical device, and
went on a guided tour to see a lab where some of the instruments that make
our exciting science possible are built.
Announcement (in German language)
Girls' Day in Germany
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Picture taken during the Girls' Day 2009 at MPE
more pictures
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Opening Ceremony in Berlin on January 20, 2009
The MPE was joint organiser of the grand opening of the Year of Astronomy 2009 in
the Museum of Communication in Berlin and showed a model of the X-ray
telescope
eRosita
and information leaflets on the institute.
In addition the model of the satellite will be part of a following
longer-term exhibition organised by ESO at the same museum. The eROSITA
model will also play a major role in the "Science Express" organised by
the MPG, an exhibition on wheels which will travel through more than 60
German cities in 2009.
report on the event (in German)
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eRosita model
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Ms Vongehr from MPE
in discussion with visitors
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MPE
International Year of Astronomy
