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Cosmic BlazEr buttoned up
A stylish new study by Remeis astronomers on jetted active galactic nuclei We would like to share a new Astronomy & Astrophysics publication from a team of Remeis astronomers from the X-ray Group of Jörn Wilms presenting the “BlazEr” catalog of blazars and blazar candidates from the first eROSITA all-sky survey (eRASS1). Using eRASS1 data…
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A Link Between X-ray Spectral Shape and Neutron Star Magnetic Fields
Remeis astronomers have devised a new method for measuring magnetic fields in neutron-star atmospheres. Astronomers from the X-ray Group of Prof. Jörn Wilms at the Dr. Karl Remeis Observatory have uncovered a direct correlation between the shape of X-ray spectra and the magnetic field strength of neutron stars in Be-X-ray binaries. Such systems contain a…
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Stellar explosion in our neighborhood
Remeis astronomers have studied the remnant of a very nearby cosmic explosion. Using data from X-ray and radio maps of the entire sky, astronomers from the Remeis Observatory have confirmed and studied the Antlia supernova remnant, a structure formed by a nearby supernova explosion. Due to its closeness and, hence, large extent in the sky…
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X-raying interstellar gas in our cosmic neighbor
Remeis astronomers have provided the deepest view of diffuse X-ray emission from hot plasma in the Large Magellanic Cloud. When stars explode in violent supernovae, they release an enormous amount of energy, momentum, and material into their surroundings, which leads to lasting imprints on the “ecosystem” of their galaxies. An important signature of this process…
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In loving memory of Dr. Katja Pottschmidt
Dr. Karl Remeis Observatory is deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of our dear friend, colleague, and mentor Dr. Katja Pottschmidt on Tuesday, June 17 2025. Born May 31, 1971, in Aurich, Germany, into a military family (her father was in the German air force), Katja grew up in Aurich and Freising, Germany, in Norfolk,…
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Particle acceleration in a massive star cluster
Astronomers from the Remeis Observatory have studied the X-ray emission from a massive young star cluster that acts as a Galactic particle accelerator Our home galaxy, and consequently Earth too, is submerged in a continuous stream of charged particles known as cosmic rays. These particles can reach very high energies, well above a petaelectronvolt (1…
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Stray supernova remnants uncovered in our cosmic neighbor
Remeis Researchers have discovered the leftovers of two stellar explosions in the outskirts of our neighbor galaxy, using ESA’s XMM-Newton satellite. When the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton pointed its telescope at two unidentified sources of light in the outskirts of the Large Magellanic Cloud, scientists from the Remeis Observatory were able to confirm what seemed…
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A new look at our founder’s supernova
Researchers at the Remeis-Observatory have discovered X-rays from a star which exploded more than 130 years ago. Ernst Hartwig was a German astronomer who became the first director of the Dr Karl Remeis Observatory when it was founded in 1889. Professionally, he became known for the discovery of the supernova S Andromedae (also referred to…