From 15th to 19th September 2025, the German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA) in Görlitz, which is under construction, will organise the International Annual Conference of the Astronomical Society (AG) under the title "The restless Universe". This is the first annual meeting of the Astronomical Society (AG) in Saxony for the first time in 100 years - most recently the society met in Leipzig in 1924.
Who are the people shaping the development of the German Center for Astrophysics? What makes them special, what characterises them? It's just a click away from getting to know them.
Until now, Germany has lacked a major national research centre for astrophysics comparable to other institutions such as the German Cancer Research Centre or the German Research Centre for Geosciences. The DZA wants to do justice to this position and conduct world-class astrophysics in Lusatia in the center of Europe.
The German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA) is a major research centre with international appeal that is currently in the build-up phase. The build-up phase began in April 2023 and is due to be completed in 2026. The DZA will then be able to operate independently and, as a centre for astrophysics, digitalisation, and technology development perform cutting-edge research, and become a driver of innovation in Lusatia, helping the region in the border triangle of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic to make the transition following the lignite phase-out.
Prof. Dr. Harald Lesch, German astrophysicist and television presenter
»Research on black holes, red giants and white dwarfs is just as fascinating as dark energy and dark matter. A large-scale research center in Lusatia can make an excellent contribution to this.«
Prof. Dr. Christian Stegmann, Director of Astroparticle Physics, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
»We create a place of absolute calm: the ‘seismic zero’«
