Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
Encyclopedia
The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (abbreviation: MPS
; ) is a research institute
in Astronomy/Astrophysics, located in Lindau (Katlenburg-Lindau)
, Germany
; 20 km north east of Göttingen
. The exploration of our solar system is the central theme for the scientific research done at this Institute. It is organised in three departments: one for the Sun and Heliosphere, one for Planets and Comets, and the other for Physics of the interior of the Sun and Sun-like stars (formerly known as Helio and Asteroseismology Research Group). In addition, since 2002 there is also an International Max Planck Research School.
MPS is a part of the Max Planck Society
, which operates 80 research facilities in Germany
.
The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research endeavours to achieve the highest standard of scientific research. One measure of the Institute’s success is its list of publications and conference presentations at home and abroad. Over the last five years, members of the Institute have each year published about 270 articles in international journals and books and gave 360 conference presentations.
, who was head of the Luftwaffe
test center at Rechlin
at the Müritz
from 1934 on. After being renamed to the "Centre for Radio Transmission" in 1943 and moving to Leobersdorf
in 1944, the institute was united with the Fraunhofer institute
from Freiburg
at Ried in the Innkreis. After the war an Allied commission decided to move the institute to Lindau am Harz
, where buildings of the Technical University of Hanover already existed. The convoy arrived on the 2nd and 3 March 1946. During 1948 the radio institute of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society
was transferred from the Fraunhofer Society
to the Max Planck Society
and renamed "Institute for Ionosphere Research" in 1949. In 1950 the US Air Force paid for the construction of an ionospheric echolot system. The full transfer from Fraunhofer to Max Planck Society and the appointment of W. Dieminger as Director followed by the transfer of the Max Planck Institute of Stratosphere Research from Weisenau near Ravensburg to Lindau and another renaming to "Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy" completed the built up.
Erhard Keppler became the science lead in the first German satellite Azur
(in copertation with NASA) and with him a small group of scientists dedicated to work with satellites was established in Lindau. The institute was selected to built part of the instrumentation of the satellite which was launched in November 1969. Instruments of the Helios probes
another German NASA cooperation were also built by the institute.
After the retirement of W. Dieminger in 1974 the focus changed from atmospheric research to space research. The Institute participated in a long series of space missions like Galileo
, Ulysses
, Cluster
, SOHO
, Cassini-Huygens
, Rosetta, Mars Express
Venus Express
and was responsible for most of the camera system of the Giotto mission
to Comet Halley
. The framing camera on board of the NASA
mission Dawn
to the asteroid belt
was built at the institute.
The institute was leading organization in the development, construction and scientific analysis of the sunrise (telescope)
. The telescope is solar telescope
in the ultraviolet
, that hangs from a high altitude balloon
. The five day maiden flight was conducted in June 2009.
The biggest changes to the Institute resulted from German unification with the retraction of two of the four directors of the institute in 1998 and 2004 after the retirement of Hagfors and Rosenbauer. The institute was renamed "Max Planck Institute of Solar System Research" in 2004 after the last director concerned with Ionosphere
and Stratosphere
research retired. The two remaining groups, of director S. Solanki
dedicated to the sun
and heliosphere
and of U. Christensen dedicated to planet
s and comet
s form the present-day Institute.
Since 2004, the institute has published the open access review journal Living Reviews in Solar Physics
.
The Institute together with the Max Planck Society decided to move the institute closer to the University of Göttingen. It is planned to move the institute by April 2014 next to the physics department of the to the University of Göttingen.
A further essential part of the activities at the Institute is the development and construction of instruments for space missions. The Institute, as the successor to the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy, is in an excellent position to meet these technologically demanding tasks. Highly qualified and experienced specialists work in well-equipped workshops, in electronic and optics labs as well as with special facilities such as clean rooms, thermal vacuum chambers, and vibration test stands.
The analysis and interpretation of the acquired datasets are accompanied by intensive theoretical work. Physical models are proposed and then tested and further developed with the aid of computer simulations.
, which plays a decisive role in these processes. It is generated by gas currents in the interior of the Sun
and causes, among other things, dark spots on the surface. Answers to the following questions are being sought: Why does the magnetic field change with an eleven-year cycle? How does the magnetic field produce the various structures on the Sun? How is the corona heated to many millions of degrees?
Instruments developed by MPS aboard the space- craft SOHO
and Ulysses have provided fundamentally new insights: Measurements of the ultraviolet spectrometer SUMER
on board SOHO
played a decisive role in recognising the significance of the magnetic field for dynamic processes and Ulysses measured the three-dimensional structure of the solar wind for the first time.
Another important research topic at the "The Sun and Heliosphere" department is the influence on the Earth due to the Sun’s variable activity. Scientists are working intensively on the project STEREO
, in which two identical spacecraft trace disturbances from the Sun to the Earth from different observational points, permitting predictions of potentially dangerous events.
The physical processes involved in the origin and development of magnetic fields on the Sun take place on very small scales and therefore require measurements with very high spatial resolution. The balloon-borne telescope Sunrise
, built under Institute leadership and flown in June 2009, was able to make out structures on the Sun’s surface as small as 100 kilometers.
Future projects will stress research into the physical causes of the Sun’s variations. The ambitious Solar Orbiter
Mission, based on a suggestion from the Institute, will see a probe approach our star to within a fifth of the Earth-Sun distance in order to investigate the magnetic field and its effects in the various layers of the solar atmosphere.
moon Titan
, analyse the surface of Mars
, and probe the clouds and winds of Venus
. Microwave instruments determine the composition of atmospheres while infrared spectrometers examine surface rocks. A novel laser altimeter on board BepiColumbo will survey the topography of Mercury
to within a meter. Further MPS instruments identify the atoms, electrons, and dust that move around the planets and impact their moons. Here the influence of the solar wind
on the atmospheric gases is of particular interest.
Theoretical studies and intensive computer simulations help to understand the processes both inside and surrounding the planets and to interpret the measured data. Models developed at MPS can describe, for example, interactions with the solar wind, the atmospheric dynamics, or the generation of the terrestrial magnetic field by means of currents deep in the iron core of our planet.
In addition, the Institute has along tradition in cometary research. A major highlight was the camera developed at the Institute for the ESA spacecraft Giotto which delivered the first photographs ever of a comet’s nucleus in 1986. A particular challenge was the development of numerous scientific instruments for the ESA Mission Rosetta
, such as cameras, chemical analyzers, and essential components for the landing module Philae. Rosetta was launched in 2004, and will match orbits with the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014; a few months later, Philae will land on the comet’s surface.
The Institute has also provided the cameras for the NASA
Dawn Mission
, launched in 2007, to study two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta.
(SDO), which has provided improved data on small scales of space and time to study the connections between the solar interior and magnetic activity in the solar atmosphere.
A particularly exciting research activity at the MPS is the study of seismic waves in the vicinity of sunspots. The goal is to probe the subsurface structure of sunspots in three dimensions. Sunspot
helioseismology
is a challenging science as it requires modelling of the propagation of waves through magnetic structures; this can only be achieved by numerical simulations.
Solar Orbiter
, SDO
, Sunrise
, STEREO
, SOHO
, Ulysses, BepiColombo
, Exomars
, Chandrayaan
, Phoenix
, Herschel
, Dawn, Venus Express
, SMART-1
, SOFIA
, Rosetta
, Mars Express
, Mars DFG, Cassini, Cluster, Helios, Galileo and Giotto.
These contributions consist developing of the instruments and/or scientific research activities.
programme "International Max-Planck Research School (IMPRS) on Physical Processes in the Solar System and Beyond" together with the University of Göttingen and the Technical University of Braunschweig
.
The Solar System School offers a three-year course of study emphasizing actual research. The curriculum covers the entire area of the solar system from small bodies to the planets and the Sun. The goal is a broad, interdisciplinary, and solid scientific education, extended with courses in numerical physics, space technology, project management, scientific writing, and presentation techniques.
There are always about 50 highly qualified graduate students studying at the Solar System School. Two thirds are from abroad from over 30 different countries. About 30 percent are women.
MPS
MPS may refer to:* Robinson List, aka Mail Preference Service, direct mail opt-out system* Malmin Palloseura, association football club from Helsinki, Finland.* Marginal propensity to save* Master Production Schedule...
; ) is a research institute
Research institute
A research institute is an establishment endowed for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research...
in Astronomy/Astrophysics, located in Lindau (Katlenburg-Lindau)
Lindau (Katlenburg-Lindau)
Lindau variously referred to as Lindau am Harz, Lindau and K-L-Lindau is a village in the southern Niedersachsen section of the Eichsfeld, Germany. Lindau belongs to the Gemeinde of Katlenburg-Lindau and to the Landkreis of Northeim...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
; 20 km north east of Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
. The exploration of our solar system is the central theme for the scientific research done at this Institute. It is organised in three departments: one for the Sun and Heliosphere, one for Planets and Comets, and the other for Physics of the interior of the Sun and Sun-like stars (formerly known as Helio and Asteroseismology Research Group). In addition, since 2002 there is also an International Max Planck Research School.
MPS is a part of the Max Planck Society
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes publicly funded by the federal and the 16 state governments of Germany....
, which operates 80 research facilities in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research endeavours to achieve the highest standard of scientific research. One measure of the Institute’s success is its list of publications and conference presentations at home and abroad. Over the last five years, members of the Institute have each year published about 270 articles in international journals and books and gave 360 conference presentations.
History
The history of the institute is closely related to Walter DiemingerWalter Dieminger
Walter Dieminger, was a German space scientist and director of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy from 1955 to 1975. Dieminger's research was focused on the ionosphere.-Life and work:...
, who was head of the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
test center at Rechlin
Rechlin-Lärz Airfield
Rechlin-Lärz Airfield is an airfield in the village of Rechlin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, which is certified for aviation equipment up to 14 tons weight...
at the Müritz
Müritz
Müritz is a former Kreis in the southern part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is named after the lake Müritz. Neighboring districts were Demmin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the district-free city Neubrandenburg, the district Ostprignitz-Ruppin in Brandenburg, Parchim and Güstrow...
from 1934 on. After being renamed to the "Centre for Radio Transmission" in 1943 and moving to Leobersdorf
Leobersdorf
Leobersdorf is a town in the Baden district of Lower Austria, Austria.-Early settlements:First indices of settlement in the area date back to 3000 BC....
in 1944, the institute was united with the Fraunhofer institute
Fraunhofer Society
The Fraunhofer Society is a German research organization with 60 institutes spread throughout Germany, each focusing on different fields of applied science . It employs around 18,000, mainly scientists and engineers, with an annual research budget of about €1.65 billion...
from Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
at Ried in the Innkreis. After the war an Allied commission decided to move the institute to Lindau am Harz
Lindau (Katlenburg-Lindau)
Lindau variously referred to as Lindau am Harz, Lindau and K-L-Lindau is a village in the southern Niedersachsen section of the Eichsfeld, Germany. Lindau belongs to the Gemeinde of Katlenburg-Lindau and to the Landkreis of Northeim...
, where buildings of the Technical University of Hanover already existed. The convoy arrived on the 2nd and 3 March 1946. During 1948 the radio institute of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society
Kaiser Wilhelm Institute
The Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of Science was a German scientific institution established in 1911. It was implicated in Nazi science, and after the Second World War was wound up and its functions replaced by the Max Planck Society...
was transferred from the Fraunhofer Society
Fraunhofer Society
The Fraunhofer Society is a German research organization with 60 institutes spread throughout Germany, each focusing on different fields of applied science . It employs around 18,000, mainly scientists and engineers, with an annual research budget of about €1.65 billion...
to the Max Planck Society
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes publicly funded by the federal and the 16 state governments of Germany....
and renamed "Institute for Ionosphere Research" in 1949. In 1950 the US Air Force paid for the construction of an ionospheric echolot system. The full transfer from Fraunhofer to Max Planck Society and the appointment of W. Dieminger as Director followed by the transfer of the Max Planck Institute of Stratosphere Research from Weisenau near Ravensburg to Lindau and another renaming to "Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy" completed the built up.
Azur (satellite)
Azur was Germany's first scientific satellite. Launched on 8 November 1969 it studied the Van Allen belts, solar particles, and aurorae....
(in copertation with NASA) and with him a small group of scientists dedicated to work with satellites was established in Lindau. The institute was selected to built part of the instrumentation of the satellite which was launched in November 1969. Instruments of the Helios probes
Helios probes
Helios-A and Helios-B , were a pair of probes launched into heliocentric orbit for the purpose of studying solar processes. A joint venture of the Federal Republic of Germany and NASA, the probes were launched from the John F. Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Dec. 10, 1974,...
another German NASA cooperation were also built by the institute.
After the retirement of W. Dieminger in 1974 the focus changed from atmospheric research to space research. The Institute participated in a long series of space missions like Galileo
Galileo spacecraft
Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. Named after the astronomer and Renaissance pioneer Galileo Galilei, it was launched on October 18, 1989 by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission...
, Ulysses
Ulysses probe
Ulysses is a decommissioned robotic space probe that was designed to study the Sun as a joint venture of NASA and the European Space Agency . The spacecraft was originally named Odysseus, because of its lengthy and indirect trajectory to near Solar distance...
, Cluster
Cluster mission
Cluster II is a space mission of the European Space Agency, with NASA participation, to study the Earth's magnetosphere over the course of an entire solar cycle. The mission is composed of four identical spacecraft flying in a tetrahedral formation...
, SOHO
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is a spacecraft built by a European industrial consortium led by Matra Marconi Space that was launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS launch vehicle on December 2, 1995 to study the Sun, and has discovered over 2100 comets. It began normal operations in May...
, Cassini-Huygens
Cassini-Huygens
Cassini–Huygens is a joint NASA/ESA/ASI spacecraft mission studying the planet Saturn and its many natural satellites since 2004. Launched in 1997 after nearly two decades of gestation, it includes a Saturn orbiter and an atmospheric probe/lander for the moon Titan, although it has also returned...
, Rosetta, Mars Express
Mars Express
Mars Express is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency . The Mars Express mission is exploring the planet Mars, and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. "Express" originally referred to the speed and efficiency with which the spacecraft was...
Venus Express
Venus Express
Venus Express is the first Venus exploration mission of the European Space Agency. Launched in November 2005, it arrived at Venus in April 2006 and has been continuously sending back science data from its polar orbit around Venus. Equipped with seven science instruments, the main objective of the...
and was responsible for most of the camera system of the Giotto mission
Giotto mission
Giotto was a European robotic spacecraft mission from the European Space Agency, intended to fly by and study Halley's Comet. On 13 March 1986, the mission succeeded in approaching Halley's nucleus at a distance of 596 kilometers....
to Comet Halley
Comet Halley
Halley's Comet or Comet Halley is the best-known of the short-period comets, and is visible from Earth every 75 to 76 years. Halley is the only short-period comet that is clearly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and thus the only naked-eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime...
. The framing camera on board of the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
mission Dawn
Dawn Mission
Dawn is a NASA spacecraft tasked with the exploration and study of the two largest members of the asteroid belt – Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. The spacecraft was constructed with some European cooperation, with partners in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands providing Dawns framing...
to the asteroid belt
Asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
was built at the institute.
The institute was leading organization in the development, construction and scientific analysis of the sunrise (telescope)
Sunrise (telescope)
Sunrise is a solar telescope in the ultraviolet, that hangs from a high altitude balloon. The strong absorption of UV radiation by the Earth's atmosphere makes it challenging to carry out ground-based observations at these wavelengths...
. The telescope is solar telescope
Solar telescope
A solar telescope is a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun. Solar telescopes usually detect light with wavelengths in, or not far outside, the visible spectrum.-Professional solar telescopes:...
in the ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
, that hangs from a high altitude balloon
High altitude balloon
High-altitude balloons are unmanned balloons, usually filled with helium or hydrogen that are released into the stratosphere, generally reaching between ....
. The five day maiden flight was conducted in June 2009.
The biggest changes to the Institute resulted from German unification with the retraction of two of the four directors of the institute in 1998 and 2004 after the retirement of Hagfors and Rosenbauer. The institute was renamed "Max Planck Institute of Solar System Research" in 2004 after the last director concerned with Ionosphere
Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
and Stratosphere
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
research retired. The two remaining groups, of director S. Solanki
Sami Solanki
Sami Khan Solanki is the former Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research , Director of the Sun-Heliosphere Department of MPS, a scientific member of the Max Planck Society, and a Chair of the International Max Planck Research School on Physical Processes in the...
dedicated to the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
and heliosphere
Heliosphere
The heliosphere is a bubble in space "blown" into the interstellar medium by the solar wind. Although electrically neutral atoms from interstellar volume can penetrate this bubble, virtually all of the material in the heliosphere emanates from the Sun itself...
and of U. Christensen dedicated to planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s and comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s form the present-day Institute.
Since 2004, the institute has published the open access review journal Living Reviews in Solar Physics
Living Reviews in Solar Physics
Living Reviews in Solar Physics is an open access scientific review journal covering topics on all areas of solar and heliospheric physics. It is published by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research...
.
The Institute together with the Max Planck Society decided to move the institute closer to the University of Göttingen. It is planned to move the institute by April 2014 next to the physics department of the to the University of Göttingen.
Research
Subjects of research at the Institute are the various objects within the solar system. A major area of study concerns the Sun, its atmosphere, the interplanetary medium as influenced by the solar wind, as well as the impact of solar particles and radiation on the planets. The second area of research involves the interiors, surfaces, atmospheres, ionospheres, and magnetospheres of the planets and their moons, as well as of comets and asteroids.A further essential part of the activities at the Institute is the development and construction of instruments for space missions. The Institute, as the successor to the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy, is in an excellent position to meet these technologically demanding tasks. Highly qualified and experienced specialists work in well-equipped workshops, in electronic and optics labs as well as with special facilities such as clean rooms, thermal vacuum chambers, and vibration test stands.
The analysis and interpretation of the acquired datasets are accompanied by intensive theoretical work. Physical models are proposed and then tested and further developed with the aid of computer simulations.
The Sun and Heliosphere
The researchers at the MPS are studying the complete range of dynamic and often spectacular processes occurring on the Sun – from the interior to the outer heliosphere. At the heart of this research is the magnetic fieldMagnetosphere
A magnetosphere is formed when a stream of charged particles, such as the solar wind, interacts with and is deflected by the intrinsic magnetic field of a planet or similar body. Earth is surrounded by a magnetosphere, as are the other planets with intrinsic magnetic fields: Mercury, Jupiter,...
, which plays a decisive role in these processes. It is generated by gas currents in the interior of the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
and causes, among other things, dark spots on the surface. Answers to the following questions are being sought: Why does the magnetic field change with an eleven-year cycle? How does the magnetic field produce the various structures on the Sun? How is the corona heated to many millions of degrees?
Instruments developed by MPS aboard the space- craft SOHO
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is a spacecraft built by a European industrial consortium led by Matra Marconi Space that was launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS launch vehicle on December 2, 1995 to study the Sun, and has discovered over 2100 comets. It began normal operations in May...
and Ulysses have provided fundamentally new insights: Measurements of the ultraviolet spectrometer SUMER
Sumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
on board SOHO
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is a spacecraft built by a European industrial consortium led by Matra Marconi Space that was launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS launch vehicle on December 2, 1995 to study the Sun, and has discovered over 2100 comets. It began normal operations in May...
played a decisive role in recognising the significance of the magnetic field for dynamic processes and Ulysses measured the three-dimensional structure of the solar wind for the first time.
Another important research topic at the "The Sun and Heliosphere" department is the influence on the Earth due to the Sun’s variable activity. Scientists are working intensively on the project STEREO
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
, in which two identical spacecraft trace disturbances from the Sun to the Earth from different observational points, permitting predictions of potentially dangerous events.
The physical processes involved in the origin and development of magnetic fields on the Sun take place on very small scales and therefore require measurements with very high spatial resolution. The balloon-borne telescope Sunrise
Sunrise (telescope)
Sunrise is a solar telescope in the ultraviolet, that hangs from a high altitude balloon. The strong absorption of UV radiation by the Earth's atmosphere makes it challenging to carry out ground-based observations at these wavelengths...
, built under Institute leadership and flown in June 2009, was able to make out structures on the Sun’s surface as small as 100 kilometers.
Future projects will stress research into the physical causes of the Sun’s variations. The ambitious Solar Orbiter
Solar Orbiter
Solar Orbiter is a planned Sun-observing satellite, under development by the European Space Agency . The main mission scenario is a launch by an Atlas V from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in January 2017...
Mission, based on a suggestion from the Institute, will see a probe approach our star to within a fifth of the Earth-Sun distance in order to investigate the magnetic field and its effects in the various layers of the solar atmosphere.
Planets and Comets
The Institute develops scientific instruments that fly with spacecraft to other planets. Highly specialized cameras have investigated the SaturnSaturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
moon Titan
Titan (moon)
Titan , or Saturn VI, is the largest moon of Saturn, the only natural satellite known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found....
, analyse the surface of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, and probe the clouds and winds of Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
. Microwave instruments determine the composition of atmospheres while infrared spectrometers examine surface rocks. A novel laser altimeter on board BepiColumbo will survey the topography of Mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
to within a meter. Further MPS instruments identify the atoms, electrons, and dust that move around the planets and impact their moons. Here the influence of the solar wind
Solar wind
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles ejected from the upper atmosphere of the Sun. It mostly consists of electrons and protons with energies usually between 1.5 and 10 keV. The stream of particles varies in temperature and speed over time...
on the atmospheric gases is of particular interest.
Theoretical studies and intensive computer simulations help to understand the processes both inside and surrounding the planets and to interpret the measured data. Models developed at MPS can describe, for example, interactions with the solar wind, the atmospheric dynamics, or the generation of the terrestrial magnetic field by means of currents deep in the iron core of our planet.
In addition, the Institute has along tradition in cometary research. A major highlight was the camera developed at the Institute for the ESA spacecraft Giotto which delivered the first photographs ever of a comet’s nucleus in 1986. A particular challenge was the development of numerous scientific instruments for the ESA Mission Rosetta
Rosetta
Rosetta is a port city on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. It is located east of Alexandria, in Beheira governorate. It was founded around AD 800....
, such as cameras, chemical analyzers, and essential components for the landing module Philae. Rosetta was launched in 2004, and will match orbits with the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014; a few months later, Philae will land on the comet’s surface.
The Institute has also provided the cameras for the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Dawn Mission
Dawn Mission
Dawn is a NASA spacecraft tasked with the exploration and study of the two largest members of the asteroid belt – Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. The spacecraft was constructed with some European cooperation, with partners in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands providing Dawns framing...
, launched in 2007, to study two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta.
Helio- and Asteroseismology
The MPS is hosting the German Data Centre for the NASA’s Solar Dynamics ObservatorySolar Dynamics Observatory
The Solar Dynamics Observatory is a NASA mission which will observe the Sun for over five years. Launched on February 11, 2010, the observatory is part of the Living With a Star program...
(SDO), which has provided improved data on small scales of space and time to study the connections between the solar interior and magnetic activity in the solar atmosphere.
A particularly exciting research activity at the MPS is the study of seismic waves in the vicinity of sunspots. The goal is to probe the subsurface structure of sunspots in three dimensions. Sunspot
Sunspot
Sunspots are temporary phenomena on the photosphere of the Sun that appear visibly as dark spots compared to surrounding regions. They are caused by intense magnetic activity, which inhibits convection by an effect comparable to the eddy current brake, forming areas of reduced surface temperature....
helioseismology
Helioseismology
Helioseismology is the study of the propagation of wave oscillations, particularly acoustic pressure waves, in the Sun. Unlike seismic waves on Earth, solar waves have practically no shear component . Solar pressure waves are believed to be generated by the turbulence in the convection zone near...
is a challenging science as it requires modelling of the propagation of waves through magnetic structures; this can only be achieved by numerical simulations.
Scientific Projects
The institute has been lead/involved in several international scientific projects such as :Solar Orbiter
Solar Orbiter
Solar Orbiter is a planned Sun-observing satellite, under development by the European Space Agency . The main mission scenario is a launch by an Atlas V from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in January 2017...
, SDO
Solar Dynamics Observatory
The Solar Dynamics Observatory is a NASA mission which will observe the Sun for over five years. Launched on February 11, 2010, the observatory is part of the Living With a Star program...
, Sunrise
Sunrise (telescope)
Sunrise is a solar telescope in the ultraviolet, that hangs from a high altitude balloon. The strong absorption of UV radiation by the Earth's atmosphere makes it challenging to carry out ground-based observations at these wavelengths...
, STEREO
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
, SOHO
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is a spacecraft built by a European industrial consortium led by Matra Marconi Space that was launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS launch vehicle on December 2, 1995 to study the Sun, and has discovered over 2100 comets. It began normal operations in May...
, Ulysses, BepiColombo
BepiColombo
BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to the planet Mercury, due to launch in 2014. The mission is still in the planning stages so changes to the current description are likely over the next few years...
, Exomars
ExoMars
ExoMars is a European-led robotic mission to Mars currently under development by the European Space Agency with collaboration by NASA...
, Chandrayaan
Chandrayaan
Chandrayaan-1 was India's first unmanned lunar probe. It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation in October 2008, and operated until August 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor...
, Phoenix
Phoenix (spacecraft)
Phoenix was a robotic spacecraft on a space exploration mission on Mars under the Mars Scout Program. The Phoenix lander descended on Mars on May 25, 2008...
, Herschel
Herschel Space Observatory
The Herschel Space Observatory is a European Space Agency space observatory sensitive to the far infrared and submillimetre wavebands. It is the largest space telescope ever launched, carrying a single mirror of in diameter....
, Dawn, Venus Express
Venus Express
Venus Express is the first Venus exploration mission of the European Space Agency. Launched in November 2005, it arrived at Venus in April 2006 and has been continuously sending back science data from its polar orbit around Venus. Equipped with seven science instruments, the main objective of the...
, SMART-1
SMART-1
SMART-1 was a Swedish-designed European Space Agency satellite that orbited around the Moon. It was launched on September 27, 2003 at 23:14 UTC from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. "SMART" stands for Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology...
, SOFIA
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Rosetta
Rosetta (spacecraft)
Rosetta is a robotic spacecraft of the European Space Agency on a mission to study the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Rosetta consists of two main elements: the Rosetta space probe and the Philae lander. The spacecraft was launched on 2 March 2004 on an Ariane 5 rocket and will reach the comet by...
, Mars Express
Mars Express
Mars Express is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency . The Mars Express mission is exploring the planet Mars, and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. "Express" originally referred to the speed and efficiency with which the spacecraft was...
, Mars DFG, Cassini, Cluster, Helios, Galileo and Giotto.
These contributions consist developing of the instruments and/or scientific research activities.
Degree programme
The MPI for Solar System Research offers the PhDPHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
programme "International Max-Planck Research School (IMPRS) on Physical Processes in the Solar System and Beyond" together with the University of Göttingen and the Technical University of Braunschweig
Technische Universität Braunschweig
The TU Braunschweig is the oldest University of Technology in Germany. It was founded in 1745 as Collegium Carolinum and is a member of TU9, an incorporated society of the most renowned and largest German Institutes of Technology. Today it has about 13,000 students, making it the third largest...
.
The Solar System School offers a three-year course of study emphasizing actual research. The curriculum covers the entire area of the solar system from small bodies to the planets and the Sun. The goal is a broad, interdisciplinary, and solid scientific education, extended with courses in numerical physics, space technology, project management, scientific writing, and presentation techniques.
There are always about 50 highly qualified graduate students studying at the Solar System School. Two thirds are from abroad from over 30 different countries. About 30 percent are women.
Directors of the Institute
- 1955–1964 Julius BartelsJulius BartelsJulius Bartels was a German geophysicist and statistician who made notable contributions to the physics of the Sun and Moon; to geomagnetism and meteorology; and to the physics of the ionosphere. He also made fundamental contributions to statistical methods for geophysics...
- 1951–1975 Walter DiemingerWalter DiemingerWalter Dieminger, was a German space scientist and director of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy from 1955 to 1975. Dieminger's research was focused on the ionosphere.-Life and work:...
- 1965–1971 Alfred Ehmert
- 1965–1977 Georg Pfotzer
- 1974–1990 Sir (William) Ian AxfordIan AxfordSir William Ian Axford, FRS, FRSNZ , was a New Zealand space scientist who was director of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy from 1974 to 1990...
- 1992–1998 Tor HagforsTor HagforsTor Hagfors was a Norwegian scientist, radio astronomer, radar expert and a pioneer in the studies of the interactions between electromagnetic waves and a plasma. He was one of several theorists who developed the theory underlying incoherent scattering in the early 1960s.Tor Hagfors was born in...
- 1977–2004 Helmut Rosenbauer
- 1977–2007 Vytenis Vasyliunas
- 1999- Sami K. SolankiSami SolankiSami Khan Solanki is the former Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research , Director of the Sun-Heliosphere Department of MPS, a scientific member of the Max Planck Society, and a Chair of the International Max Planck Research School on Physical Processes in the...
(The Sun and Heliosphere Department) - 2002- Ulrich R. Christensen (Planets and Comets Department)
- 2011- Laurent Gizon (Physics of the interior of the Sun and Sun-like stars Department)
Names of the Institute
- 1934 Erprobungsstelle der Luftwaffe (test site of German air force)
- 1943 Zentralstelle für Funkberatung (centre for radio transmission)
- 1949 Max Planck Institut für Ionensphärenforschung (Max Planck institute for ionospheric research)
- 1958 Max Planck Institut für Aeronomie (Max Planck institute for aeronomy)
- 2004 Max Planck Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (Max Planck institute for solar system research)