Stars greater than about eight solar-masses end their lives spectacularly as supernovae. These single-star supernovae are called core collapse supernovae because their dense cores, compos...

Cambridge, MA - Astronomers using data from NASA and the ESA (European Space Agency) telescopes have released a new all-sky map of the outermost region of our galaxy. Known as the galacti...

A core focus of SAO's work as a Smithsonian research unit is to serve the American public through a commitment to cutting-edge scientific research and provide free and equitable access to...

Stars form as gravity contracts the gas and dust in an interstellar cloud until cores develop that are dense enough to coalesce into stars. A dense core in the earliest phase of this proc...

Cambridge, MA - In April 2019, scientists released the first image of a black hole in galaxy M87 using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). However, that remarkable achievement was jus...

Cambridge, MA - Researchers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian are showing off their creative side at this month's Cambridge Science Festival. The annual event aim...

Galaxies in the observable universe show a remarkable diversity in their structure and properties, mostly because of the many different pathways for their stars to form and evolve. The gr...

The public is invited to tour the Chandra X-Ray Observatory's Operations Control Center (OCC) from the comfort of their own homes. Created by the Advancement and External Affairs Office a...

Dust grains in the interstellar medium are responsible for the dramatic shapes darkening the faces of bright nebulae, the Horsehead Nebula for example. The grains absorb ultraviolet and o...

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian will host several NASA Hubble Fellows beginning in the fall of 2021. This year, over 400 applicants applied to the prestigious NASA...