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Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Receives $3.6M from Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to Advance Next-Generation Event Horizon Telescope

Cambridge, MA (September 17, 2026) — The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), part of the Center for Astrophysics, has been awarded $3,597,771 from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF) ...
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New study reveals common pattern of black hole activity shaping nearby galaxies

Cambridge, MA (September 14, 2026) —A new study of nine nearby galaxies has shown that actively growing supermassive black holes may contribute to star formation, instead preventing star formation, in ...
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Planet Formation

The Milky Way alone probably contains hundreds of billions of planets, based on the thousands of exoplanets we’ve already identified. These planets share a history and origin with their host stars, ...
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How the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope Will Change Astronomy

Named for Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer and a pioneer who helped pave the way for the Hubble Space Telescope and other space-based observatories, the telescope will give astronomers ...
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Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Announces Inaugural Winners of the SAO Advisory Board Prize in Honor of Charles Alcock

Cambridge, MA (August 26, 2026) The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory today announced the four inaugural recipients of the SAO Advisory Board Prize in honor of Charles Alcock, former Director of ...
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Founding Gift Establishes Smithsonian STARS Program in Delaware in Honor of Rev. Barbara Louise Hebner

A founding gift from longtime Smithsonian supporter Laura Peebles and the Barbara Hebner Charitable Fund at Vanguard Charitable will launch the Smithsonian Scientists Taking Astronomy to Rural Schools ...
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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 surrounding an Earth-like, rocky planet orbiting within the habitable zone of ...
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Sharpest map yet of a galaxy’s heavy elements shows how black holes shape galaxies

Astronomers have mapped the distribution of heavy elements around a supermassive black hole in unprecedented detail, and the results show that metal‑rich gas is closely linked to the black hole’s ...
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Smithsonian Starstruck Makes Its World Premiere in Washington, D.C., Launching an Immersive Journey to the Cosmos

Built from real astronomical data, the fully immersive experience brings stars, galaxies and black holes within reach. Washington, D.C., May 28--The Smithsonian launches a gateway to the cosmos with ...
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The Solar Wind’s Secret Hammerheads and What They Tell Us About Heat in Space

Cambridge, MA (May 27, 2026) —The proton sharks showed up on a Friday. In a routine data calibration meeting for NASA’s Parker Solar Probe in 2020, a small group of scientists were scrolling through ...
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Astronomers Uncover Why Some Solar Eruptions Die

New multi-telescope observations show why a powerful blast never became a true mass ejection. Cambridge, MA (May, 20, 2026) — A team of scientists has recorded one of the most detailed views ever of a ...
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'Interstellar Glaciers': NASA’s SPHEREx Maps Vast Galactic Ice Regions

In observations led by CfA scientists, NASA’s SPHEREx has mapped water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide ices attached to the surface of tiny dust particles in clouds spanning hundreds of ...