page_title: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
section_title: Infrastructure
hierarchical_section_title: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy / Infrastructure
caption_attribution_description: English: German astronomer Hans-Walter Rix (2009 photo)
context_page_description: The Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie is a research institute of the Max Planck Society. It is located in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany near the top of the Königstuhl, adjacent to the historic Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl astronomical observatory. The institute primarily conducts basic research in the natural sciences in the field of astronomy.
  In addition to its own astronomical observations and astronomical research, the Institute is also actively involved in the development of observation instruments. The instruments or parts of them are manufactured in the institute's own workshops.
context_section_description: The managing director is Hans-Walter Rix (August 2019). Former and current external scientific members of the MPIA were and are:
  Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Böhm (†)
  Prof. Dr. Walter Fricke (†)
  Prof. Dr. George H. Herbig (†)
  Prof. Dr. Conny Aerts (University of Leuven/Radboud University Nijmegen)
  Prof. Dr. Immo Appenzeller (Emeritus, Heidelberg University)
  Prof. Dr. Steven V.W. Beckwith (University of California, Berkeley)
  Prof. Dr. Willy Benz (University of Bern)
  Prof. Dr. Rafael Rebolo (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias)
  Prof. Dr. Volker Springel (Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics)
  At the end of 2018, a total of 413 people were employed at the Institute, including 227 scientists, among them 34 junior and visiting scientists. In the same year, 79 doctoral students were supervised in cooperation with the University of Heidelberg. Nine independent research groups have been established at the MPIA per 2018. These include three Max Planck Research Groups and five European research groups. One group is funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
caption: Managing director Hans-Walter Rix in 2009
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