Press Releases 2011

Public Relations: Dr. Norbert Krupp, Dr. Birgit Krummheuer
Max-Planck-Str. 2, 37191 Katlenburg-Lindau
Tel.: [49] (0)5556-979-154, -462
Fax: [49] (0)5556-979-240

presseinfo@mps.mpg.de

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Primal rock in space Press Release 23/2011 - October 28, 2011 The Lutetia asteroid could be a remnant from the early phase of the solar system. Lutetia is a real fossil: several areas of the asteroid's surface are around 3.6 billion years old and thus some of the oldest in the planetary system. Its high density means Lutetia is also a planetesimal, the first stage of development on the way to becoming a planet. These findings have been obtained by scientists headed by the ... [more]

Startschuss für die Reise zum Feuerball Press Release 22/2011 - October 13, 2011 Die ESA hat die Mission Solar Orbiter genehmigt. Das Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung beteiligt sich an sechs von zehn Instrumenten. Wenn sich die Raumsonde Solar Orbiter 2017 näher an die Sonne heranwagt als je eine Weltraummission zuvor, werden auch wissenschaftliche Instrumente des Max-Planck-Instituts für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS) der Hitze unseres Zentralgestirns trotzen. Die Europäische Weltraumagentur (ESA) hat diese einzigartige Mission ... [more]

Did comets bring water to Earth? Press Release 21/2011 - October 6, 2011 Observations of Hartley 2 have revealed the first comet with water similar to that on our home planet. Not only the impacts of asteroids, but also comets may have provided Earth with large parts of its water. This is a result of new measurements performed by ESA's space observatory Herschel that were led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany. The researchers were able to identify 103P/Hartley 2 as ... [more]

Vesta in Farbe Press Release 20/2011 - September 19, 2011 Erste Karten des Asteroiden in Falschfarben deuten auf einzigartige Variationen auf der Oberfläche des Himmelskörpers hin. Nachdem das Kamerasystem an Bord der NASA-Raumsonde Dawn seit August hochaufgelöste Bilder der Oberfläche des Zielasteroiden Vesta liefert, haben Forscher des Max-Planck-Instituts für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS) nun erste Falschfarbenkarten des Asteroiden erstellt. Die Oberflächenmerkmale, die erst durch das Betrachten durch die verschiedenen Farbfilter ... [more]

Saubere Verstärkung auf Zeit Press Release 19/2011 - September 13, 2011 Zwei mobile Reinräume bieten dem Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung zusätzlichen Platz, weitere Weltraummissionen vorzubereiten. Nach etwa achtstündigem Transport aus der Schweiz auf einem Tieflader und mehrtägigem Aufbau ist nun auch die zweite mobile Reinraumanlage am Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS) in Betrieb gegangen. Die beiden weißen Container von 60 und 90 Quadratmetern ... [more]

Erster Spatenstich zum Neubau Press Release 18/2011 - August 30, 2011 Mit etwa 200 Gästen feierte das Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung in Göttingen den Baubeginn. Mit einem achtfachen Spatenstich begann gestern gegen 19 Uhr offiziell die etwa zweieinhalbjährige Bauzeit des Neubaus des Max-Planck-Instituts für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS) in Göttingen. Neben Niedersachsens Ministerpräsident David McAllister griffen auch Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka ... [more]

Erste hochaufgelöste Bilder des Asteroiden Vesta Press Release 17/2011 - August 1, 2011 Neue Bilder des Kamerasystems an Bord der NASA-Raumsonde Dawn geben erste Hinweise auf eine bewegte Vergangenheit. Die ersten hochaufgelösten Bilder des Asteroiden Vesta offenbaren erstmals vielfältige Oberflächenstrukturen und deuten auf eine Art Zweiteilung des Asteroiden hin: Während die Nordhalbkugel mit zahlreichen Kratern übersät ist, sind diese auf der Südhalbkugel in geringerer Anzahl zu finden. Die Bilder wurden vom Kamerasystem an Bord der NASA-Raumsonde Dawn ... [more]

Enceladus rains water onto Saturn Press Release 16/2011 - July 26, 2011 ESAs Herschel space observatory has shown that water expelled from the moon Enceladus forms a giant torus of water vapour around Saturn. Herschels latest results mean that Enceladus is the only moon in the Solar System known to influence the chemical composition of its parent planet. Enceladus expels around 250 kg of water vapour every second, through a collection of jets from the south polar region known as the Tiger Stripes because of their distinctive ... [more]

The faces of Vesta Press Release 15/2011 - June 23, 2011 New images of the asteroid show the first surface structures and give a preview of the Dawn mission's coming months. Although about 189,000 kilometers still lay between NASA's space probe Dawn and the asteroid Vesta, the latest images taken by the camera system on board show a heterogeneous surface structure ... [more]

Vesta: Coming into Focus Press Release 14/2011 - June 15, 2011 New images taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft show a dark spot on the asteroid's equatorial region. While NASA's space probe Dawn is continuing its approach towards Vesta, the camera system on board is beginning to show the giant asteroid in more and more detail. The newest pictures taken on June 1st and processed by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany already hint at the huge crater on Vesta's ... [more]

Rosetta's first glimpse of the comet Press Release 13/2011 - June 8, 2011 Three years before its arrival the camera system on board the space probe Rosetta renders the first images of its destination. Approximately 163 million kilometers still separate ESA's spacecraft Rosetta from comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, its 2014 target. Despite this remarkable distance, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany have succeeded in obtaining the first images of the remote destination using the onboard camera system OSIRIS. These ... [more]

New Director at the MPI for Solar System Research Press Release 12/2011 - May 20, 2011 Prof. Laurent Gizon heads the new department "Physics of the interior of the Sun and Sun-like stars". Yesterday a short ceremony at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Katlenburg-Lindau (Germany) was held to celebrate the inauguration of a new director, Prof. Laurent Gizon. The French scientist is recognized as one of the leading researchers in the field of helioseismology, which uses space observations of solar oscillations to ... [more]

Land ho! A first glimpse of Vesta Press Release 11/2011 - May 11, 2011 The framing cameras on board the spacecraft Dawn catch sight of the mission's first scientific target. After a flight time of three and a half years, the framing cameras on board NASA's space probe Dawn have shot their first picture of the asteroid Vesta. The protoplanet with a diameter of approximately 530 kilometers appears as a bright, round spot in front of a dark background of stars. In this early approach phase the image that was taken from a distance of 1,2 million ... [more]

Dawn begins its approach of asteroid Vesta Press Release 10/2011 - May 4, 2011 The camera system on board navigates NASA's Dawn spacecraft towards its first destination. Only less than three months and approximately 1.2 million kilometers still separate NASA's space probe Dawn from its first destination: the asteroid Vesta that circles the Sun within the so-called asteroid belt beyond the orbit of Mars. The mission has now reached its official approach phase and will begin using its cameras to aid in its navigation. The camera operations ... [more]

Das solare Feuerwerk enträtseln Press Release 9/2011 - May 3, 2011 Forscher aus aller Welt treffen sich in Teistungen zu einer Konferenz über die magnetischen Eigenschaften unseres Sterns. Nach einer ungewöhnlich langen Ruhephase nimmt die Aktivität der Sonne wieder zu. Schon jetzt kommt es vermehrt zu heftigen Sonneneruptionen, die ein Feuerwerk elektromagnetischer Strahlung entfachen und energiereiche geladene Teilchen ins All schleudern. Treffen diese auf das irdische Magnetfeld, können sie magnetische Stürme auslösen, im ... [more]

Eine schwingende Hülle im All Press Release 8/2011 - April 28, 2011 Ferdinand Plaschke, der 100. Doktorand der Solar System School, weist erstmals Eigenschwingungen der Magnetopause nach. Wie eine dünne Haut umgibt die Magnetopause die Erde und trennt unseren magnetischen Schutzschild, die so genannte Magnetosphäre, vom interplanetaren Raum. Dass diese Magnetopause wie eine Membran schwingen kann, hat jetzt Dr. Ferdinand Plaschke von der Technischen ... [more]

High Flying Astronomy with German Instrument Press Release 7/2011 - April 7, 2011 First Flight of SOFIA Airborne Observatory with GREAT Spectrometer. SOFIA, the "Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy", completed the first science flight on the morning of Wednesday, 6 April 2011, using the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (GREAT) scientific instrument. The First results with GREAT include spectra of M17, an active star-forming region in our Milky Way, and the galaxy IC 342 at a distance of a few million ... [more]

Auf den Spuren der Strahlungsgürtel des Saturn Press Release 6/2011 - April 6, 2011 Dr. Elias Roussos vom Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung erhält Nachwuchspreis der European Geoscience Union. Die innerste Hülle aus hoch energetischen, geladenen Teilchen, die den Saturn als so genannter Strahlungsgürtel umgibt, wird durch einfallende kosmische Strahlung erzeugt. Darauf deuten Messergebnisse der NASARaumsonde Cassini hin, die Wissenschaftler um Dr. Elias Roussos vom Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS) in ... [more]

Dawn opens its eyes Press Release 5/2011 - March 21, 2011 Four months before arriving at the asteroid Vesta, the camera system on board the spacecraft successfully completes its last dry run. After a hibernation period of approximately six months, the framing cameras on board NASA's space probe Dawn have now again ventured a look into the stars. The tests, which were performed by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany, are part of the preparations for Dawn's arrival at the asteroid Vesta at the end of July. ... [more]

GREAT installed on airborne observatory SOFIA Press Release 4/2011 - February 1, 2011 First tests of the receiver, to which scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research contributed, were successful. On January 21st/22nd, 2011, GREAT, the "German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies", was mounted on the airborne observatory SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) for the first time. Installation and first tests were very successful. A number of further tests will follow before the first scientific ... [more]

Von Planeten, Robotern und Sandburgen Press Release 3/2011 - January 21, 2011 Max-Planck-Institute laden zu Vorträgen für junge Entdecker nach Katlenburg-Lindau. Sechsmal Wissenschaft zum Zuhören, Ansehen und natürlich Mitmachen bietet die neue Vortragsreihe "Max-Planck Wissenswelten - Vorträge für junge Entdecker" des Max-Planck-Instituts für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation (MPIDS) und des Max-Planck-Instituts für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS). In der Zeit vom 4. Februar bis ... [more]

Keeps going and going and going ... Press Release 2/2011 - January 12, 2011 The solar observatory SoHO, to which scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research have contributed considerably, celebrates its 15th anniversary. When in 1996 during the last days of January the space probe SoHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) deployed its instruments for first solar light, the American and the European space agencies hoped for an operating time of two years. By now, those ... [more]

A look into Vesta's interior Press Release 1/2011 - January 7, 2011 Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research discover a cosmic chunk in space that orginiated from deep inside the third largest asteroid. Researchers from the University of North Dakota and from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany have discovered a new kind of asteroid using NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The mineralogical composition of 1999 TA10 suggests that ... [more]

Public Relations: Dr. Norbert Krupp, Dr. Birgit Krummheuer
Max-Planck-Str. 2, 37191 Katlenburg-Lindau
Tel.: [49] (0)5556-979-154, -462
Fax: [49] (0)5556-979-240
 presseinfo@mps.mpg.de