CfA

Polaris is the Closest, Brightest Cepheid Variable. Very Recently, Something Changed.

A new study has revealed that Polaris' pulsating behavior may be caused by its binary companion, resolving a long-standing mystery…

7 months ago

A Review of “Extraterrestrial” by Prof. Avi Loeb

Professor Avi Loeb's new book, Extraterrestrial, tells the tale of how he 'Oumuamua may be humanity's first interstellar messenger.

3 years ago

Some Astronomers Think Betelgeuse Dimmed Because it “Sneezed”. And it Might be Getting Ready to do it Again

An international team of researchers has proposed a new explanation for why Betelgeuse has been mysteriously dimming, just as it…

4 years ago

How Researchers Produce Sharp Images of a Black Hole

A new study by members of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) has shown how new images of black…

4 years ago

Astronomers Image the Atmosphere of a Red Dwarf Planet for the First Time. Spoiler Alert, it’s a Terrible Place to Live

Using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, a team of astronomers was able to study the surface of an exoplanet…

5 years ago

A New Planetary System Has Been Found with Three Super Earths

A team of astronomers recently discovered a system of three exoplanets that are just 100 light years from Earth, making…

6 years ago

The Solar System Probably has Thousands of Captured Interstellar Asteroids

According to a new study by a team of Harvard researchers, there could be thousands of interstellar asteroids like ‘Oumuamua…

6 years ago

Mysterious Filament is Stretching Down Towards the Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole

Looking to the center of our galaxy, astronomers noted the presence of a mysterious filament extending from the supermassive black…

6 years ago

There Could be Hundreds More Icy Worlds with Life Than on Rocky Planets Out There in the Galaxy

According to a new study by members of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, there could be

6 years ago

New Study Proposes a Giant, Space-Based Solar Flare Shield for Earth

A team of scientists from the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have proposed a bold idea for protecting Earth against…

6 years ago