Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg


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LSWs optical systems design for CUBES passed final review

The Cassegrain U-Band Efficient Spectrograph (CUBES), a future instrument for ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), has successfully passed its final design review. LSW is responsible for the design and development of its optical system. (2025/08/08)

New ZAH Director: Ralf Klessen

Since July 1, Prof. Dr. Ralf Klessen (ZAH/ITA) is managing director of ZAH. He succeeds Prof. Dr. Joachim Wambsganss. As deputy director the ZAH board elected Prof. Dr. Dominika Wylezalek (ZAH/ARI). (2025/07/01)

New ERC Research Group Leader at ZAH: Max Grönke

Since July 1, 2025, Dr. Max Grönke started as Research Group Leader at ZAH. With his ERC on "Resolving the Multiscale, Multiphase Universe” he plans to connect small-scale plasma physics with the large-scale galaxy ecosystems. (2025/07/01)

Rubin First Look Watch Party in Heidelberg

First breathtaking images from the Rubin Observatory were presented to the public at the House of Astronomy as part of a worldwide First Look Watch Party initative. ZAH/ARI and MPIA are participating in the project (2025/06/23).

Michela Mapelli receives ERC Advanced Grant

The European Research Council (ERC) awarded Prof. Dr. Michela Mapelli (ZAH/ITA) an Advanced Grant of €2.5 million to study the formation of intermediate-mass black holes with 100 to 10.000 times the mass of our Sun. (2025/06/17)

Light Pollution: A Threat to Astronomy in the Atacama Desert

Interview with Prof. Dr. Dominika Wylezalek (ZAH/ARI) on how a large-scale industrial project is threatening scientific research with telescopes operated by the European Southern Observatory. (2025/05/27)

More news and research highlights ►­►­►­►­

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ASTROPHYSICS CURRICULUM

Winter Term 25/26 ►►►►

Astro & Physics Talks

HePhySTO – HEidelberg PHYsics Seminar Talks Organizer ►►►►

Next Astro colloquia
Sep 19
11:00		is the Earth special?
Laura Kreidberg (MPIA) : Copernicus revisited
Königstuhl Kolloquium
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Level 3 Lecture Hall (301)
Sep 26
11:00		TBD
Heidi Korhonen (MPIA)
Königstuhl Kolloquium
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Level 3 Lecture Hall (301)
Oct 10
11:00		TBD
Andrew Winter (MPIA)
Königstuhl Kolloquium
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Level 3 Lecture Hall (301)

more colloquia ...

Recent ZAH publications
8/2025
Schneider, F. R. N.; Laplace, E. et al.
Supernovae from stellar mergers and accretors of binary mass transfer: Implications for Type IIP, 1987A-like and interacting supernovae
A&A 700, A253(2025)

9/2025
Hawcroft, Calum; Leitherer, Claus et al. (inc. Sander, Andreas A. C.)
pySTARBURST99: The Next Generation of STARBURST99
ApJS 280, 5(2025)

9/2025
Rampalli, Rayna; Ness, Melissa K. et al. (inc. Buck, Tobias)
Disentangling Metallicity Effects in Hot Jupiter Occurrence across Galactic Birth Radius and Phase-space Density
AJ 170, 170(2025)

more publications ...