Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian. How can we expand the limits of human knowledge further into the unknown? The 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 CfA today includes over 850 collaborators and support staff pursuing a staggering array of scientific inquiry, draws on over 300 combined years of tradition in institutional support for groundbreaking discoveries, and earns support from a variety of sources, including Federal appropriations, University funds, contracts and grants from …

National Harbor, MD - Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team of scientists led by astronomers from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) detected a Mi...

Explore the following facilities for locations, directions, events, associated technology and instruments, labs and more. Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian operates three major facilities, including the organization’s research headquarters in Cambridge, MA, and observatories in Arizona and Hawaii.

The CfA | Harvard & Smithsonian was created in 1973 to combine the Harvard College Observatory (HCO) and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) under a single umbrella and director. Since then, the headquarters has grown beyond its original building to fill three additional sites in Cambridge, to house the scientists, engineers, and other staff supporting the study of the Universe and ...

The Center for Astrophysics (CfA) provides world-class opportunities for academic training and career development in astrophysics. It is home to the Harvard University Department of Astronomy, which features both graduate and undergraduate programs, as well as to the SAO pre-doctoral program, numerous undergraduate summer research programs, and superb opportunities for post-doctoral studies.

Telescopes & Instruments. Modern astronomy requires the best telescopes, detectors, spacecraft, and other equipment. The scientists, engineers, and staff of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian participate in every aspect of the process: designing, building, and using advanced observatories and labs that lead to breakthrough science.

For Fellow Scientists. The Center for Astrophysics shares a pan-institutional goal of advancing humanity’s understanding of our universe. We proudly partner with the scientific community by providing access to Center for Astrophysics facilities, sharing data, collaborating through engineering and technology, and offering partnership opportunities through various CfA projects.

CfA Colloquia offer an opportunity for scientists, engineers, and staff to hear about topics at the forefront of astrophysical research from leaders in their field. Themes range from upcoming NASA missions to the latest detections that are shifting and …

Now celebrating 50 years of collaboration, the CfA includes over 850 scientists, researchers, and support staff pursuing a staggering array of scientific inquiry, draws on over 300 combined years of tradition in institutional support for groundbreaking discoveries, and earns support from a variety of sources, including Federal appropriations, University funds, contracts and grants from ...