Tag: Astronomy

  • Nation & World

    Milky Way bigger than thought

    Our own Milky Way galaxy, long considered a “little sister” to the larger Andromeda Galaxy, is all grown-up, according to new research. The findings, presented at a Jan. 5 meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Long Beach, Calif., by Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) researchers, show that the galaxy has about 50 percent more…

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Riding — and reading — the Earth tide

    Once a day, Miaki Ishii rides the Earth tide, rising slowly — along with her desk, chair, and entire office — 20 to 30 centimeters before sinking back again.

    6 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Transit search finds super-Neptune

    Astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics havediscovered a planet somewhat larger and more massive than Neptuneorbiting a star 120 light-years from Earth. While Neptune has a diameter3.8 times that…

    2 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Milky Way bigger, faster than previously thought

    Our own Milky Way galaxy, long considered a “little sister” to the larger Andromeda Galaxy, is all grown-up, according to new research presented today that shows the Milky Way to be bigger and faster than previously thought.

    8 minutes
  • Nation & World

    New visualization techniques yield star formation insights

    New computer visualization technology developed by the Harvard Initiative in Innovative Computing has helped astrophysicists understand that gravity plays a larger role than previously thought in deep space’s vast, star-forming…

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Strong evidence brown dwarfs form like stars

    Astronomers have uncovered strong evidence that brown dwarfs form like stars. Using the Smithsonian’s Submillimeter Array (SMA), they detected molecules of carbon monoxide shooting outward from the object known as…

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Astronomy Department dedicates new telescope

    A small knot of a dozen people gathered on the Science Center roof on Friday (Oct. 31) to officially dedicate Harvard’s latest teaching telescope, a 16-inch cassegrain telescope built by DFM Engineering in Colorado.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Solar system’s twin has two asteroid belts

    Astronomers have discovered that the nearby star Epsilon Eridani has two rocky asteroid belts and an outer icy ring, making it a triple-ring system. The inner asteroid belt is a virtual twin of the belt in our solar system, while the outer asteroid belt holds 20 times more material. Moreover, the presence of these three…

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Solar system’s young twin has two asteroid belts

    Astronomers have discovered that the nearby star Epsilon Eridani has two rocky asteroid belts and an outer icy ring, making it a triple-ring system. The inner asteroid belt is a…

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Black holes are the heart of galaxies

    Astronomers think that many — perhaps all — galaxies in the universe contain massive black holes at their centers. New observations with the Submillimeter Array now suggest that such colossal black holes were common even 12 billion years ago, when the universe was only 1.7 billion years old and galaxies were just beginning to form.…

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    J. Richard Bond awarded Gruber Prize at CfA

    Theoretical work on the evolution and structure of the universe landed Canadian cosmologist J. Richard Bond the 2008 Cosmology Prize of the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation, awarded Sept. 17 at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    CfA to host focus group on aesthetics and astronomy

    The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) is sponsoring a focus group survey on Dec. 3 at Phillips Auditorium, 60 Garden St., to gather information on how NASA scientists create astronomical imagery. CfA experts will be on hand for the 3 p.m. talk and discussion. Astronomy enthusiasts are invited to register for the survey, which will…

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    A new era in search for ‘sister Earths’?

    Research presented at a recent astronomical conference is being hailed as ushering in a new era in the search for Earth-like planets by showing that they are more numerous than previously thought and that scientists can now analyze their atmospheres for elements that might be conducive to life.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Harvard Foundation names Scientist of Year

    The Harvard Foundation will present its 2008 Scientist of the Year Award to Stephanie D. Wilson, a NASA astronaut and 1988 Harvard College graduate, at this year’s annual “Albert Einstein Science Conference: Advancing Minorities and Women in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics.” Wilson will be honored for her outstanding work in engineering and space exploration with…

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Laser precision to help find new Earths

    Harvard scientists have unveiled a new laser-measuring device that they say will provide a critical advance in the resolution of current planet-finding techniques, making the discovery of Earth-sized planets possible.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Laser precision added to search for new Earths

    Harvard scientists have unveiled a new laser-measuring device that they say will provide a critical advance in the resolution of current planet-finding techniques, making the discovery of Earth-sized planets possible.…

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Interdisciplinary conference takes micro, macro look at origins of life

    How did we get here? That’s not the first line in a hangover joke. It’s a question that has been asked for centuries about the origins of life on Earth. At Harvard last week, an A-list of astronomers, physicists, Earth scientists, and chemists met in the Radcliffe Gymnasium to look at this and other fundamental…

    6 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Sulfur dioxide may have helped maintain a warm early Mars

    Sulfur dioxide (SO2) may have played a key role in the climate and geochemistry of early Mars, geoscientists at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggest in…

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Publications recognize three CfA astronomers

    Three astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) were recently recognized for their innovative work by three leading national magazines. The trio was selected from hundreds of scientists across the country for their leadership and achievements in their respective research fields.

    2 minutes
  • Nation & World

    White dwarf ‘sibling rivalry’ explodes into supernova

    Astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) have found that a supernova discovered last year was caused by two colliding white dwarf stars.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Massive black hole smashes record for sizeMassive black hole smashes record for size

    Using two NASA satellites, astronomers have discovered a black hole that obliterates a record announced just two weeks ago. The new black hole, with a mass 24 to 33 times that of our sun, is the heftiest known black hole to orbit another star.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    White dwarf “sibling rivalry” explodes

    The new find, supernova 2006gz, was classified as a Type Ia due to the lack of hydrogen and other characteristics. However, an analysis combining CfA data with measurements from The Ohio State University suggested that SN 2006gz was unusual and deserved a closer look.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Mystery comet explodes into brightness

    A once-faint comet has made a sudden leap from obscurity tocenter stage. Comet 17P Holmes, now visible to northern hemisphereresidents, increased its brightness by a factor of one million this…

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    CfA reveals Magellanic Clouds are first-time visitors

    The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) are two of the Milky Way’s closest neighboring galaxies. A stunning sight in the southern hemisphere, they were named after the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who explored those waters in the 16th century. For hundreds of years, these galaxies were considered satellites of the Milky…

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Making days longer than 24 hours

    People at a research hospital in Boston have been living 24-hour, 39-minute days. They were part of an experiment to show that the 24-hour human sleep-wake cycle can be adapted to other biological rhythms like the longer days on Mars.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Using Spitzer telescope, scientists create first map of extrasolar planet

    For the first time, astronomers have created a rough map of a planet orbiting a distant sun-like star, employing a technique that may one day enable mapping of Earth-like worlds. Because the planet just charted is a gas giant and lacks a solid surface, the map shows cloud-top features. Using the Spitzer infrared space telescope,…

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Gingerich awarded Janssen Prize

    Owen Gingerich, professor of astronomy and of the history of science emeritus, has been awarded the 2006 Janssen Prize by the Société Astronomique de France (French Astronomical Society).

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Astronomers nab culprit in galactic hit-and-run

    The Andromeda galaxy, the closest large spiral to the Milky Way, appears calm and tranquil as it wheels through space. But appearances can be deceiving. Astronomers have new evidence that…

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    DEAS welcomes Harvard astronaut back to Earth

    International Space Station designers thought of everything concerning astronaut comfort while sleeping. There are sleeping bags, straps to hold astronauts against the wall, and, according to NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson, there’s even a strap to hold their heads to the pillow against the weightlessness of space. Wilson, who graduated from Harvard in 1988, returned to…

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Strange new planet baffles astronomers

    Using a network of small automated telescopes known as HAT, Smithsonian astronomers have discovered a planet unlike any other known world. This new planet, designated HAT-P-1, orbits one member of…

    1 minute