Zentrum für Astronomie Outreach der Universität Heidelberg (ZAH) ... activities of ZAH are focussed at the „Haus der Astronomie“ (HdA), Heidelberg‘s center for astrono- The Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg (ZAH) is my outreach and education. The HdA was founded the largest institution at a German university. The ZAH was in 2008 by the Klaus Tschira Foundation and the Max established in 2005 by joining the former state institutes Astrono- misches Rechen-Institut (ARI) and Landessternwarte Königstuhl Planck Society, with the University of Heidelberg and (LSW) with the Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik (ITA) of Heidel- the City of Heidelberg as additional partners. The berg University. Its spectrum of research and teaching activities ranges mission of the HdA is to share the fascination of ast- from planet formation and evolution to cosmology and state of ronomy and astrophysics with a broad audience - in the art computer physics in parallel with the development and assembly particular with school children and their teachers - and of instrumentation for telescopes and participation in satellite projects. to communicate the results of astronomical research to the media and to the general public. www.zah.uni-hd.de

Contacts

ZAH Managing Director ZAH Outreach Selected outreach Prof. Dr. Joachim Wambsganss Dr. Guido Thimm Zentrum für activities with ZAH involvement Mönchhofstr. 12-14 [email protected] 69120 Heidelberg Astronomie „Universum für alle! Halbe Heidelberger Germany ZAH Director of Sternstunden“: The videos of 70 short public astrono- Studies of Astronomy der Universität my talks presented by Heidelberg in 2011 ZAH Institutes apl. Prof. Dr. Andreas Just can be found at Youtube (www.universum-fuer-alle.de). Astronomisches [email protected] Written versions of the talks are published in the book Rechen-Institut (ARI) Heidelberg „Universum für alle“ by Springer-Verlag. Mönchhofstr. 12-14 Department of Physics and Ast- 69120 Heidelberg ronomy of General Information Universe awareness (UNAWE) uses the beauty of the Germany apl. Prof. Dr. Sandra Klevansky Universe to encourage children age 4 to 10 to develop www.ari.uni-heidelberg.de www.physik.uni-heidelberg.de an interest in science and technology, and introduces them to the idea of global citizenship and tolerance. Institut für Theoretische Haus der Astronomie (HdA) The program is active in 54 different countries, with Astrophysik (ITA) MPIA-Campus ZAH being the main German partner of EU-UNAWE Albert-Ueberle Str. 2 and . HdA is the home of the German UNAWE office and of Philosophenweg 12 Königstuhl 17 the „Universe in a box“ astronomy kit, now being used 69120 Heidelberg 69117 Heidelberg for UNAWE activities world-wide. Germany Germany www.ita.uni-heidelberg.de [email protected] Haus der Astronomie (HdA) has developed various www.haus-der-astronomie.de astronomy kits, featuring hands-on experiments ready Landessternwarte for classroom use, for loan to high schools. One example Königstuhl (LSW) Heidelberg Institute for is the „ Box“, a key part of SFB 881 outreach Königstuhl 12 Theoretical Studies (HITS) activities, which offers hands-on activities and explorato- Prof. Dr. Volker Springel ry learning related to our home galaxy. 69117 Heidelberg Germany Schloss-Wolfsbrunnenweg 35 www.lsw.uni-heidelberg.de 69118 Heidelberg „Wolke 7“, initiated by female ZAH astronomers, Germany introduces young girls about 13 years of age to the www.h-its.org wonders and the excitement of physics and astronomy via hands-on experiments. The project is supported by Heidelberg University‘s „Young University“ initiative and by the university‘s equal opportunity office.

Image credits Cover: „Heidelberg at night“ by C. Reindel Background: „Milky Way“ by S. Guisard/ESO „Milky Way Box“: C. Scorza/HdA

Layout G. Thimm, Published 7/2013 www.zah.uni-hd.de Projects Research Education ... and collaborations with ZAH astronomers as drivers ... at ZAH covers a broad spectrum in theory ... and training of physics and astronomy students is a or key scientists cover a large number of international and observations ranging from extrasolar planets, central and important contribution of ZAH lecturers to activities spanning observations, instrumentation, formation and stellar dynamics to galaxy formation and the Bachelor, Master and PhD programs of the Depart- simulations and theory. The ZAH has close coopera- evolution, active , large-scale structure and ment of Physics and Astronomy at Heidelberg Univer- tions with leading research institutions world wide on cosmology. Moreover, the ZAH is involved in the deve- sity. ZAH scientists offer a broad range of courses at topics at the very forefront of astronomy and astrophy- lopment of instrumentation, high-performance compu- different levels, ranging3 from planets to cosmology. sics. ting, and satellite missions. The collaborative research center „The Milky Way System“ (SFB 881) represents a special research focus in which all astronomical Educational infrastructure and career Selected projects with institutes in Heidelberg participate. options for students and young researchers at ZAH major ZAH involvement nn 140 scientists are working at ZAH. Among these, nine full The origin of the Milky Way and fundamental issues professors for astronomy or astrophysics, four adjunct pro- connected with galaxy evolution such as star formati- Research groups presently established at fessors and three junior research group leaders. They offer a on and chemical evolution over cosmic time scales are SFB ZAH and their corresponding group leaders the focus of the Sonderforschungsbereich (Collabo- contemporary astronomy and astrophysics curriculum. rative Research Center) „The Milky Way System“ at nn Active Galactic Nuclei nn Gravitational Lensing Heidelberg University, which is funded by the German 881 apl. Prof. Dr. Jochen Heidt Prof. Dr. Joachim Wambsganss nn Currently, the ZAH hosts about 25-30 master- and 50-60 Research Foundation (DFG). nn Cosmology and structure nn Instrumentation PhD-students. formation Prof. Dr. Andreas Quirrenbach Prof. Dr. Matthias Bartelmann nn Galactic Gaia is a Corner Stone space mission by the European nn Many of ZAH‘s 40-50 postdocs and 25 staff scientists sup- Space Agency ESA. Gaia will do astrometry, photometry nn Chemistry and Dynamics of the Dr. Frank Bigiel port the faculty with supplementary and special educational and spectroscopy of about one billion with very Interstellar Medium nn Planet Formation high precision. The Astronomisches Rechen-Institut Priv. Doz. Dr. Simon Glover Prof. Dr. Cornelis Dullemond training options for young scientists. (ARI) hosts Coordination Unit 3, „Core Processing“, nn Exoplanets nn Star Formation and ISM which implements the data processing chain from Prof. Dr. Andreas Quirrenbach/ Dynamics nn The ZAH hosts a number of postdoctoral prize fellows. receiving Gaia‘s raw telemetry to the core astrometric Priv. Doz. Dr. Sabine Reffert Prof. Dr. Ralf Klessen solution. nn Extragalactic Astrophysics & nn Statistics and Cosmology High Energy Astrophysics Prof. Dr. Björn Malte Schäfer The graduate education at the Heidelberg Graduate School of Fun- apl. Prof. Dr. Stefan Wagner nn Stellar Dynamics The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will be a new damental Physics (HGSFP) provides excellent and flexible educa- nn Extragalactic Astronomy apl. Prof. Dr. Rainer Spurzem facility for ground-based gamma-ray astronomy. More tion in the fields of fundamental interactions and cosmology, quantum than 100 groups from different countries participate in Priv. Doz. Dr. Thorsten Lisker nn Galaxy Formation and Numerical dynamics and complex quantum systems, astro- and cosmic phy- the development activities, which are coordinated by the nn Gaia Astrophysics central Project Office at theLandessternwarte (LSW), Dr. Ulrich Bastian Prof. Dr. Volker Springel sics, and complex classical systems. The HGSFP combines doctoral with supported by the European Commission. nn Galactic Archaeology nn Galaxy Evolution and Stellar projects from the forefront of international research with a broad and Prof. Dr. Norbert Christlieb Dynamics deep teaching program in these areas of fundamental physics and ESA‘s Planck mission Planck analyses, with the highest nn Galaxy Clusters apl. Prof. Dr. Andreas Just emphasises their interrelations. accuracy ever achieved, the remnants of the radiation Dr. Robert W. Schmidt nn Virtual Observatory/eScience nn Galactic Halos Dr. Markus Demleitner/ filling the Universe since the Big Bang and observed The International Max Planck Research School for Astronomy and today as the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Dr. Andreas Koch Prof. Dr. Joachim Wambsganss Cosmic Physics at the University of Heidelberg (IMPRS-HD) offers At the Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (ITA), nn Galaxy star formation history nn White Dwarfs software and algorithms for the Planck satellite have Dr. Anna Pasquali Dr. Stefan Jordan a broad range of research and training opportunities to PhD students been developed. ITA is also involved in the scientific nn Stellar Populations and Galaxy in astronomy. Applications from students of all countries are solicited Evolution exploitation of the data . once per year. The IMPRS-HD is an independent part of the HGSFP. Prof. Dr. Eva Grebel Established in 2009, the ZAH Gliese Fellowship Program provides Further initiatives and cooperations include major projects and facili- International conferences and workshops organized in collabora- a competitive stipend and a generous research budget to outstan- ties such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), the Radial Velo- tion with other astronomical research instiututes in Heidelberg further ding postdoctoral fellows in any area of astronomy or astrophysics in city Experiment (RAVE), the Southern Sky Survey (SSS), the Large enhance the local scientific infrastructure and attractiveness for re- which scientists at ZAH are active. The goal of the Gliese Fellowships Binocular Telescope (LBT) at Mount Graham International Obser- searchers from all over the world. Examples are „Protostars & Planets is to offer scientists typically within a few years of their PhD the best vatory (USA), the Large Sky Area Multi-Fiber Spectroscopic Tele- VI“ (2013), the „International Virtual Observatory Alliance Interope- possible opportunities to develop their talents within a fruitful and scope (LAMOST), H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System), the rability Meeting“ (2013), „Galactic Scale Star Formation: Observati- inspiring scientific environment. Transregio TR 33 „The Dark Universe“, the SPP 1573 „Physics of on meets Theory“ (2012), Annual Meeting of Astronomische Gesell- the Interstellar Medium“, the German Astrophysical Virtual Obser- schaft: „Surveys & Simulations - The Real and the Virtual Universe“ Supported by the HGSFP, IMPRS-HD Summer Schools on various vatory (GAVO) or the PLANET microlensing collaboration. (2011) and „The Milky Way and the - Now and in the Gaia „hot topics“ are regularly organized in Heidelberg. They enjoy an ex- Era“ (2009). cellent reputation among international students.