BIG BANG TO BIG DATA

Press releases



  • 01.11.2024 | MPIfR, SKAO, BMBF

    Germany has become an official member of the SKAO


    Another milestone for German radio astronomy has been reached: Germany has been admitted as the twelfth member of the international astronomy organisation the SKA Observatory. ... [more]

  • 22.02.2024 | German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA)

    German Centre for Astrophysics opens interim location in Görlitz. The building provides workplaces for around 100 employees


    The German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA) today officially opened its interim location in the historic post office building on Postplatz in Görlitz. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger and Minister President Michael Kretschmer, who symbolically handed over the key to the designated founding director of the DZA, Prof. Dr. Günther Hasinger. ... [more]

  • 21.02.2024 | MPIfR, SARAO, INAF

    MeerKAT+: the MeerKAT Extension


    Wednesday, 21 February 2024: The first MeerKAT+ antenna was today handed over in a festive ceremony in the Karoo region in South Africa. This marks another important step towards the SKA Observatory’s (SKAO) mid-frequency telescope, into which the 14 antennas of the MeerKAT extension will be integrated in the next few years. In addition to representatives of the members Max Planck Society (MPG), the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) and the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) which are jointly financing these 14 antennas, invited guests from the partner countries involved and the SKAO took part in the handover ceremony. ... [more]

  • 29.03.2023 | Association for Data-Intensive Radio Astronomy (VdR)

    Germany transcends borders with the SKAO super telescope


    On March 28, the German Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger visited the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) super telescope under construction in South Africa together with Dr Lindsay Magnus, Director of SKA-Mid in South Africa, and Prof Michael Kramer, Director at the Max-Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn. There she announced that Germany had joined the international SKAO project. The Association for Data-Intensive Radio Astronomy welcomes Germany's accession, having campaigned for many years for Germany's membership. ... [more]

  • 29.09.2022 | Association for Data-Intensive Radio Astronomy (VdR)

    Efforts of the VdR pay off: Astrophysics in Germany gets a national research center


    Decision made in the competition "Knowledge creates perspectives for the region": German Centre for Astrophysics - Research. Technology. Digitalization. (DZA) comes to the Saxon Lusatia. ... [more]

  • 31.08.2021 | Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sciences

    H-BRS puts data streams from all over the world into the picture


    In their exploration of the cosmos, radio astronomers collect enormous amounts of data. In future, this flood of data is to be analysed with the help of artificial intelligence and visualised using visual computing methods. To this end, eight institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia have joined forces to form a unique research and teaching community. The Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (H-BRS) is contributing its expertise in the visualisation of large amounts of data to the network. ... [more]

  • 31.08.2021 | Ruhr University Bochum

    Artificial intelligence sharpens the view into space


    A new research cluster combines radio astronomy and data science in North Rhine-Westphalia
    In their search for distant galaxies, rapidly rotating neutron stars and black holes, radio astronomers are collecting an ever-increasing amount of data. In future, this flood of data will also be analysed with the help of artificial intelligence. ... [more]

  • 30.08.2021 | NRW Ministry of Research and Technology

    Strengthening the Science Location: North Rhine-Westphalia realigns research funding


    State government creates better framework conditions for open-topic research - First projects with a total funding volume of 22 million euros selected - Minister Pfeiffer-Poensgen starts research trip ... [more]

  • 30.08.2021 | MPIfR and University of Bonn

    Artificial intelligence sharpens the view into space


    In their search for distant galaxies, rapidly rotating neutron stars and black holes, radio astronomers are collecting an ever-increasing amount of data. In future, this flood of data is to be analysed with the help of artificial intelligence. To this end, eight institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia have joined forces under the leadership of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) to form the "NRW Cluster for Data-Intensive Radio Astronomy: Big Bang to Big Data". In addition to the MPIfR, the University of Bonn and the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences are involved in the project. The state is funding the project with three million euros. ... [more MPIfR] [more Univ. Bonn]

  • 30.08.2021 | Bielefeld University

    New alliances research individualisation and radio astronomy


    The Ministry of Culture and Science (MKW) of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is promoting the expansion of innovative research areas with its "Profile Development" programme in order to make them visible and competitive. ... [more]

  • 18.05.2021 | Association for Data-Intensive Radio Astronomy (VdR)

    Science initiative pleads for German Centre for Astrophysics in Lusatia


    An initiative of leading scientists led by Prof. Dr. Günther Hasinger, Research Director of the European Space Agency (ESA), is campaigning for the establishment of the German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA), which is to be located in Lusatia. The initiative, which is supported by scientists from the Max Planck Society, the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam, the Helmholtz Association, including DESY, and the Technical University of Dresden, submitted its proposal for the new research centre to the ideas competition "Knowledge creates perspectives for the region!" organised by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Free State of Saxony. The competition calls on outstanding scientists to submit proposals for the establishment of large-scale research centres in order to determine the thematic orientation and the exact location of two new large-scale research centres in Lusatia in Saxony and in the Central German mining region. …  [mehr]