Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

First atmosphere detected on a habitable-zone rocky world

In a major milestone in the search for life on other planets, astronomers have detected, for the first time, an atmosphere ...
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Telescopes and Instruments

Gamma rays don’t pierce Earth’s atmosphere, but when they strike the air, they produce faint flashes of visible light. The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) is a set of ...
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Astronomers Build a One-Stop Universe Data Hub

The project will connect data from different sky surveys to each other in formats available to analyze without supercomputing, even on a laptop Astronomers spend much of their time mapping the ...
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Raveena Khan wins honourable mention Ph.D. prize from the International Astronomical Union

Cambridge, MA (July 2026) — The International Astronomical Union has awarded the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s visiting scientist, Raveena Khan, the 2025 IAU Division E (Sun and Heliosphere) ...
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Radio and Geoastronomy

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian Radio & Geoastronomy (R&G) division explores the Universe using the low-energy portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, including the radio, ...
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Cosmic Eruption Caught in the Act by Submillimeter Array’s New Fastest Response System

Cambridge, MA (June 30, 2026) — On January 26, 2026, the Submillimeter Array (SMA) on Maunakea crossed an important threshold for time‑domain astronomy. For the first time, scientists from the Center ...
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CfA Publications

Each week, CfA scientists publish new research across the span of astronomy, astrophysics, astrochemistry, geosciences and engineering. Explore our most cutting-edge work with the descriptions below.
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Science Education Department

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian Science Education Department (SED) is a national leader in the study of science learning, and in the research and development of evidence-based STEM ...
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The Star Formation Reference Survey

Astronomers study star formation as a way of understanding our own origins, as well as the structure of galaxies and the evolution of the cosmos as a whole. However, the farther back in time, ...
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Video-based K-12 Professional Development Library

Since its inception in 1987, the Science Education Department has developed dozens of high-quality professional development resources for K-12 educators in science and mathematics.
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SAO Budget and Financial Services

All financial functions of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian operate under the oversight of its individual collaborative entities - Harvard College Observatory and/or Smithsonian ...