Home | Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
WEBThe Center for Astrophysics is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Harvard College Observatory that’s designed to ask big questions about the universe, build the tools needed to answer them, and share the resulting discoveries with the world. "The coming decade will be an extremely exciting time for ...
The Milky Way Galaxy - Harvard–Smithsonian Center for …
WEBThe Milky Way is our galactic home, part of the story of how we came to be. Astronomers have learned that it’s a large spiral galaxy, similar to many others, but also different in ways that reflect its unique history. Living inside the Milky Way gives us a close-up view of its structure and contents, which we can’t do for other galaxies. At the same time, this perspective makes it ...
Current Night Sky | Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
WEBThe Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian advances humanity’s knowledge of the Universe by uncovering the nature of distant cosmic phenomena. But many of our greatest discoveries start with the simple act of observing. Here’s what to look for in our current night sky. (Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Solar System | Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
WEBWhile astronomers have discovered thousands of other worlds orbiting distant stars, our best knowledge about planets, moons, and life comes from one place. The Solar System provides the only known example of a habitable planet, the only star we can observe close-up, and the only worlds we can visit with space probes. Solar System research is essential for understanding the origin and evolution ...
About | Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
WEBAbout. The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian is a collaboration between Harvard and Smithsonian designed to ask — and ultimately answer — humanity’s greatest unresolved questions about the nature of the universe. Founded in 1973, the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian is an ongoing collaboration between the ...
Cosmology | Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
WEBThe Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), as part of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, manages Chandra’s day-to-day operations, providing spacecraft control, observation planning, and data processing for astronomers. Chandra is one of NASA’s orbiting Great Observatories, along with the Hubble.
Black Holes | Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
WEBBlack holes are some of the most fascinating and mind-bending objects in the cosmos. The very thing that characterizes a black hole also makes it hard to study: its intense gravity. All the mass in a black hole is concentrated in a tiny region, surrounded by a boundary called the “event horizon”. Nothing that crosses that boundary can …
Theoretical Astrophysics - Harvard–Smithsonian Center for …
WEBUnderstanding the cosmos involves both observation and theory. Observation provides real-world data about how stars, galaxies, and other objects in space behave. Theory connects that data together into a full understanding, and makes predictions about phenomena we haven’t observed yet. Theoretical astrophysics includes mathematical models for astronomical systems, along with templates to fit ...
Research | Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
WEBResearch. Research at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian ranges across many disciplines, from astronomy and astrophysics to improving life on Earth through science education, climate research, and technology development. Scientists and engineers at CfA are involved in international collaborations to create the next generation ...
Big Questions - Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
WEBBig Questions. The research at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian centers on humanity’s greatest unresolved questions about the nature of the universe. These questions have been pondered for generations, and our research is bringing us closer to answers than ever before.
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