It is located in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany near the top of the Königstuhl, adjacent to the historic Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl astronomical observatory.

In February 1969, a first group of 5 employees started work in the buildings of the neighbouring Königstuhl State Observatory.

[1] The institute, which was completed in 1975, was initially dedicated to the preparation and evaluation of astronomical observations and the development of new measurement methods.

[3] Since 2005, the MPIA has been operating the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) together with partners from Germany, Italy, and the USA and equipping it with measuring instruments.

[5] Additionally, MPIA is participating in providing with instruments and using of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) operated by ESO (European Southern Observatories).

With the assistance of the MPIA two of VLT's 8-meter mirrors were linked together in such way that they could work as a bigger telescope with higher resolution in autumn 2002.

The resonating question is: Is the Sun with its inhabited planet Earth unique, or are there also conditions in the vicinity of other stars, at least the numerous sun-like ones among them, that are conducive to life?

In some aspect related to those topics, the APEx department studies exoplanets and aims to decipher their atmospheres by observation and modelling.

[26] The MPIA participates in the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Astronomy and Cosmic Physics.

In December 2008, the institute and the Klaus Tschira Foundation announced their intention to bundle the activities of the Heidelberg astronomers in public relations and work with pupils and teachers in a newly founded Haus der Astronomie.

[33] Activities in Haus der Astronomie include public talks and guided tours, planetarium shows, workshops for school classes or kindergarten groups, the development of educational materials, pre-service training for teacher students at Heidelberg University and in-service training for German and international teachers.