Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE)

The Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching, near Munich, studies the universe through X-rays, infrared light and molecules in space. It was founded as a sub-institute in 1963 and became independent in 1991. It sits next to the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and ESO’s headquarters.

Main research areas and projects

• High-energy astrophysics: leads the German consortium of the eROSITA X-ray telescope.
• Infrared astronomy.
• Optical and interpretative astronomy.
• Center for Astrochemical Studies: the chemistry of gas and dust in space.

Recent results

MPE’s Reinhard Genzel shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics with Andrea Ghez “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy.” Genzel’s team tracked stars with ESO telescopes, in parallel with Ghez’s Keck measurements; the Event Horizon Telescope later imaged that black hole, Sagittarius A*.

On July 31, 2026, the second eROSITA data release (DR2) catalogued nearly 2 million X-ray sources over half the sky: about 1.9 million point-like sources and about 64,000 extended ones, roughly double the first release. It combines eROSITA’s first three all-sky scans (556 days) of the western Galactic hemisphere.

What to watch, 2026-2030

Our sources list no dated MPE milestones for 2026-2030. Watch how the eROSITA DR2 catalog is used: nearly 2 million sources means follow-up for years, from active black holes to galaxy clusters relevant to cosmology.

Why scientists are converging here

X-ray astronomy faces budget pressure in the US, where Chandra now runs at reduced cost. A public all-sky X-ray catalog of this size, from a European institute, gives researchers a large new data set at the same time. Japan’s XRISM, extended through 2030, adds the detailed spectroscopy.