Max Planck Institute for Astronomy Archives

IMAGE - modified image of Mercury using Grok via Astrobiology.com

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release

JWST Studies The Surface Composition Of Super-Earth LHS 3844 b

by Keith CowingMay 5, 2026May 5, 2026

Using MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument) on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team of researchers led by former MPIA (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany) PhD student […]

Artist's impression of the planet Epsilon Indi Ab, with water clouds atop its ammonia-dominated atmosphere. Credit E. C. Matthews, MPIA / T. Müller, HdA

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Press Release

Astronomers Find An Exo-Jupiter, And It Seems To Have Clouds

by Keith CowingApril 23, 2026April 23, 2026

A team of astronomers led by Elisabeth Matthews at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) has made a discovery that highlights the limits of most current models of exoplanet […]

This artist’s impression shows the planet-forming disc around the star V883 Orionis. In the outermost part of the disc, volatile gases are frozen out as ice, which contains complex organic molecules. An outburst of energy from the star heats the inner disc to a temperature that evaporates the ice and releases the complex molecules, enabling astronomers to detect it. The inset image shows the chemical structure of complex organic molecules detected and presumed in the protoplanetary disc (from left to right): propionitrile (ethyl cyanide), glycolonitrile, alanine, glycine, ethylene glycol, and acetonitrile (methyl cyanide). Credit ESO/L. Calçada/T. Müller (MPIA/HdA)

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Interstellar, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

The Evolution Of Life May Have Its Origins In Outer Space

by Keith CowingJuly 25, 2025July 25, 2025

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a team of astronomers led by Abubakar Fadul from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) has discovered complex organic molecules – including […]

Artist’s impression of a protoplanetary disk around a very low-mass star. It depicts a selection of hydrocarbon molecules (Methane, CH4; Ethane, C2H6; Ethylene, C2H2; Diacetylene, C4H2; Propyne, C3H4; Benzene, C6H6) detected in the disk around ISO-ChaI 147. © ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) / MPIA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Planet-forming Disks Around Very Low-mass Stars Are Different

by Keith CowingJune 7, 2024June 7, 2024

Planets form in disks of gas and dust, orbiting young stars. The MIRI Mid-INfrared Disk Survey (MINDS), led by Thomas Henning from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in […]

Artistic representation of an exoplanet whose water ice on the surface is increasingly vaporizing and forming an atmosphere during its approach to the central star of the planetary system. This process increases the measured planetary radius compared to the value the planet would have at its place of origin. CREDIT Thomas Müller (MPIA)

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Migration Solves An Exoplanet Puzzle

by Keith CowingFebruary 9, 2024February 9, 2024

Ordinarily, planets in evolved planetary systems, such as the Solar System, follow stable orbits around their central star. However, many indications suggest that some planets might depart from their birthplaces […]

This image is an artist’s concept of the exoplanet GJ 9827d, the smallest exoplanet where water vapour has been detected in the atmosphere. The planet could be an example of potential planets with water-rich atmospheres elsewhere in our galaxy. With only about twice Earth’s diameter, the planet orbits the red dwarf star GJ 9827. Two inner planets in the system are on the left. The background stars are plotted as they would be seen to the unaided eye looking back toward our Sun. However, the Sun is too faint to be seen. The blue star at the upper right is Regulus; the yellow star at the centre bottom is Denebola; and the blue star at the bottom right is Spica. The constellation Leo is on the left, and Virgo is on the right. Both constellations are distorted from our Earth-bound view from 97 light-years away. -- Credits: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI), Ralf Crawford (STScI)

Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Hubble Finds Water Vapour In The Atmosphere Of Small Exoplanet GJ 9827d

by Keith CowingJanuary 26, 2024January 26, 2024

Astronomers are intrigued when finding evidence of water vapour on exoplanets. Based on observations with the Hubble Space Telescope, a recent example is the planet GJ 9827d, which may have […]

Artist's impression of the massive star-forming region, with the planet-forming disk XUE-1 in the foreground. The region is drenched in UV light from massive stars, one of which is visible in the top left corner. The structure near the disk represents the molecules and the dust found by the researchers in their new observations. © Maria Cristina Fortuna (www.mariacristinafortuna.com)

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release

A Cradle Of Possible Earth-like Planets Found In A Harsh Environment

by Keith CowingDecember 8, 2023December 8, 2023

Planets like our Earth could form even in the harshest known star-forming environments, drenched by hard UV light from massive stars.

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

The CARMENES Project Boosts The Number Of Known Planets In The Solar Neighbourhood

by Keith CowingFebruary 22, 2023

The CARMENES program, led by a consortium of Spanish and German research institutions, in which the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) is a partner, has released 20,000 observations of […]

Astrochemistry

How Life Came To Earth

by Keith CowingFebruary 11, 2022

All life as we know it consists of the same chemical building blocks. These include peptides, which perform various completely different functions in the body – transporting substances, accelerating reactions […]

Astrochemistry

First Measurement Of Isotopes In Atmosphere Of An Exoplanet

by Keith CowingJuly 14, 2021

An international team of astronomers have become the first in the world to detect isotopes in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. It concerns different forms of carbon in the gaseous […]