25 Jun 2026
| 25 Jun 2026
Status: this preprint is currently under review for the journal HGSS.
History of the Max-Planck-Institut für Aeronomie and its scientific projects (1958–2004)
Abstract. The Max-Planck-Institut für Aeronomie located in Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, had a clearly defined beginning and end. It commenced on 1 January 1958 with the merging of the Max-Planck- Institut für Ionosphärenforschung (ionospheric research) and the Max-Planck-Institut für Physik der Stratosphäre (physics of the stratosphere), and it concluded in 2004 with the renaming in Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (solar system research – MPS). This manuscript reviews the organization, scientific research, and development that took place over these 47 years.
Competing interests: At least one of the (co-)authors is a member of the editorial board of History of Geo- and Space Sciences.
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