news 2017

Heat from the friction of rocks caused by tidal forces could be the "engine" for the hydrothermal activity on Saturn's moon Enceladus. This presupposes that the moon has a porous core that allows water from the overlying ocean to seep in, where the tidal friction exerted on the rocks heats it. This shows a computer simulation based on observations from the European-American Cassini-Huygens mission.

Research news For the first time ever, scientists have measured electromagnetic and gravitational signals generated by the collision of neutron stars. In a special research project led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), physicists with the Collaborative Research Center 1258 "Neutrinos and Dark Matter" team recorded the aftermath of the powerful event.

The element carbon and its compounds form the basics for life on Earth. Short-duration flash-heating events in the solar nebula prior to the formation of planets in our solar system were responsible for supplying the Earth with a presumably ideal amount of carbon for life and evolution. This shows a carbon chemistry model developed by Heidelberg University researchers.

Very large yet faint galaxies have been found where no one would have expected them - in the middle of a giant galaxy cluster. Heidelberg astronomers discovered the extremely-low-density galaxies, known as ultra-diffuse galaxies, a find that is "both remarkable and puzzling", states Dr Thorsten Lisker.

How does the gas in the centre of the Milky Way behave? Researchers from Heidelberg University, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Oxford, recently investigated the motion of gas clouds in a comprehensive computer simulation. The new model finally makes it possible to conclusively explain this complex gas motion.

Jupiter is not only the largest planet of the Solar System, but it is also the oldest, say researchers from the University of Münster. They, for the first time, determined a precise age of Jupiter, which was previously only approximately known. One problem has always been that there are no samples from Jupiter and, therefore, that no direct measurements were possible.

Three working groups from Heidelberg, Cologne and Potsdam are involved in a joint project to develop a new technology for astronomical research. The researchers intend to render micro-optic systems used in telecommunications suitable for use in large telescopes. The collaborative project is being supported by the Königstuhl State Observatory of the Centre for Astronomy of Heidelberg University, the Institute of Physics I of the University of Cologne, and the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam.

Research news Using galaxies as giant gravitational lenses, an international group of astronomers headed by Max Planck@TUM tenure track professor Sherry Suyu measured independently how fast the Universe is expanding. The newly measured expansion rate for the local Universe is consistent with earlier findings.

Water on Earth is the precondition for life as we know it. But where does it come from, and how long has it been here? Scientists currently discuss two possibilities: Either water was here at an early stage, during the main phase of Earth's formation, or Earth was initially completely dry and water only arrived later - through the impacts of comets or 'wet' asteroids originating from the outer areas of the solar system.