Cambridge, MA - Prominent astrophysicist Stephen (Steve) S. Murray died on Monday, August 10, 2015. Dr. Murray is widely recognized for advancing the field of high-energy astrophysics...

In the 1870's astronomers first noted the presence of yellow clouds on the surface of Mars and suggested they were caused by windblown dust. Today, dust storms on Mars are well known and ...

On October 1-3, 2015, the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization will present the third annual GMT Community Science Meeting. This year's conference, entitled "(re)Solving Galaxies in the ...

The Kuiper belt is the region of the solar system situated just beyond Neptune's orbit, about 40 AU from the Sun (one AU - astronomical unit - is the Earth's average distance from the Sun...

The Kepler mission has so far spotted an astonishing 4696 possible exoplanets; about one third of them, 1030, have been confirmed as exoplanets so far. A small percentage of this set are ...

Cambridge, MA - Skygazers at northern latitudes are familiar with the W-shaped star pattern of Cassiopeia the Queen. This circumpolar constellation is visible year-round near the North...

Scientists at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory near Tucson supplied data to help NASA's Kepler mission confirm an Earth-like planet in the "habitable zone" around a sun-like star 140...

Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe (after hydrogen and helium) and of course it is important: all known life forms require liquid water and its oxygen content. For...

The number 16 can be pretty special. For many people, their 16th birthday is cause for celebration: perhaps an opportunity to drive a car, a time to think about the next steps of educatio...

Stars do not stand still. They move through the heavens with motions determined by their encounters with other stars and stellar systems. Stellar velocities in the Milky Way are typically...