Astronomyday 2026
Excellence Cluster Success!
Astronomyday 2026
Excellence Cluster Success!

Astronomy at the University of Bonn

The Argelander-Institute for Astronomie (AIfA) is one part of the  Fachgruppe Physics and Astronomy and provides top-class research and excellent education.

The Institute's research groups focus on various areas of theoretical and observational astronomy - from stars to cosmology in national and international collaborations with other research institutions and large-scale astronomical projects.

With its own Master of Astrophysics course, the AIfA is involved in the education of young students alongside the Bachelor of Physics. Many international doctoral students are also trained, in part through the Bonn-Cologne Graduate School (BCGS).

News

Moving
© colourbox.de

We are on the move: Due to the renovation work currently carried out at AIfA, for a short period of time you may reach individual members in different offices (and phone numbers). Email addresses, however, will remain the same.

„DYNAVERSE – Our Dynamic Universe“ Inauguration Event
Celebrating and exploring the beginnings of the Universe with all its cosmic twists and turns
Tribute to Prof. Dr. Hans Jörg Fahr
Professor Hans Jörg Fahr (1939-2026) On January 15th, our colleague Professor Hans Jörg Fahr passed away at the age of 86. The news of his death fills us with great sorrow and dismay.
The life of central radio galaxies in clusters: AGN-ICM studies of eRASS1 clusters in the ASKAP fields
A recent study by Angie Veronica et al. uses galaxy group and cluster catalogs from the first eROSITA all-sky survey, together with radio observations from ASKAP, to explore how central supermassive black holes influence the largest objects in the Universe: galaxy clusters. At the centers of galaxy clusters, active supermassive black holes, also known as active galactic nuclei (AGNs), launch jets that can heat the surrounding hot gas. Understanding how effective this "AGN feedback" is has been a major effort in astrophysics. By analysing 151 galaxy clusters, the team finds that radio jets tend to grow larger where their host galaxy is not perfectly aligned with the cluster center, suggesting that the environment shapes jet evolution. They also detect a weak link between jet power and gas cooling in cluster cores. However, in the most massive galaxy clusters, the jets do not produce enough energy to balance the cooling. This indicates that additional heating sources may be needed to keep these systems stable.
The Euclid Consortium is releasing a new set of scientific publications based on the Euclid Quick Data Release (Q1)
In parallel to a new Euclid image release by ESA on the ‘Dark Cloud’ LDN 1641, the Euclid Consortium (EC) is today releasing a new set of seven scientific publications based on the Euclid Quick Data Release (Q1).
Events
"Radioteleskope der Welt"
Argelander-Institut für ...
07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
As part of the “Bonner Sternenhimmel” series, organized in collaboration between the Bonn Public Observatory, the Argelander Institute for Astronomy, and the ...
AIfA Science Day
Hörsaal, Argelander-Insti...
09:30 AM
The Argelander Institute invites all affiliates to its Science Day! All members of research groups, as well as master’s students, are cordially invited to ...
Astronomy Day 2026
Argelander-Institut für ...
02:00 PM - 07:00 PM
The Argelander Institute for Astronomy, together with the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and the Bonn Public Observatory (Volkssternwarte Bonn), ...
German ALMA Community Day 2026
Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121 ...
10:00 AM
The ALMA Regional Centre Germany (ARC Bonn) invites to the ALMA Community Day on March 26 at the Argelander-Institut for Astronomy. Researchers Researchers ...

Organization

Hörsaal
Hörsaal Symbolbild © Colourbox

Physics-Astronomy Division

The Argelander Institute for Astronomy, together with the three physics institutes (PI, HISKP and AP), is part of the Physics-Astronomy Division.

Uni Bonn Globus
Universität Bonn © Volker Lannert

Math.-Nat. Faculty

The Argelander Institute is part of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Bonn.

MPIfR Bonn
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie Bonn © privat

Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy

The Argelander Institute and the Max Planck Institute share the joint research.

Contact

Management

Avatar Bigiel

Prof. Dr. Frank Bigiel

Director

1.021

Avatar Porciani

Prof. Dr. Cristiano Porciani

Deputy Director

1.017

Wird geladen