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 ...
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 return to the outside …
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.
Stellar Structure and Evolution - Center for Astrophysics
WEBStars are the source of almost all of the light our eyes see in the sky. Nuclear fusion is what makes a star what it is: the creation of new atomic nuclei within the star’s core. Many of stars’ properties — how long they live, what color they appear, how they die — are largely determined by how massive they are. The study of stellar structure and evolution is …
Life in the Universe - Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
WEBThis research encompasses nearly all aspects of contemporary science: the astrophysics describing the formation of stars and planets; the geology, geochemistry, and atmospheric conditions for habitability of those planets; and the biochemistry, biology and ecology of life itself. These studies include research of past and present life on Earth ...
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 ...
Gravitational Waves - Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
WEBGravitational waves, also known as gravitational radiation, were predicted by Albert Einstein as a consequence of his theory of general relativity. This theory describes gravity as distortions in the structure of spacetime created by matter and energy. Einstein realized those distortions would travel at the speed of light in the form of waves ...
Supernovas & Remnants - Harvard–Smithsonian Center for …
WEBSupernovas are some of the brightest events in the universe, occasionally outshining entire galaxies at their peak. Many supernovas can be seen from billions of light-years away, and nearby supernovas in past centuries have been visible during the daytime. Today, astronomers distinguish two types of supernova: those involving white dwarfs, and those …
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 …
Facilities & Technology - Harvard–Smithsonian Center for …
WEBFacilities & Technology. Precise observations of the universe require precise tools. Engineers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian work in concert with our scientists to build the instrumentation necessary for their research, often within a tolerance of a few atoms. Learn more about our technology and explore the facilities ...