Harvard Smithsonian Center For Astrophysics

The Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) is a joint collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Harvard College Observatory. The CfA is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the campus of Harvard University. It is one of the largest astrophysical research centers in the world with over 250 staff members and postdoctoral fellows, and an annual budget of over $100 million.

The CfA’s mission is to advance our understanding of the Universe through astronomical research and education. We conduct a broad program of observational, theoretical, and instrumental research in astronomy and astrophysics from our state-of-the-art facilities. Our scientific programs focus on some of the most pressing questions about our place in the cosmos: How did galaxies form and evolve? What are the nature and distribution of dark matter and dark energy? What are the origins of structure in the universe? Are there other Earths orbiting other stars? How did life begin on our planet?

In addition to pursuing cutting-edge science, we also train future generations of astronomers and physicists through our graduate programs at Harvard University and MIT. We offer public outreach programs that bring astronomical discoveries to everyone from schoolchildren to amateur astronomers. And we operate some of the world’s most advanced astronomical observatories, including the MMT Observatory on Mount Hopkins in Arizona; The Submillimeter Array (SMA) atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii; The Chandra X-ray Observatory Center near Amherst, Massachusetts; The Las Campanas Observatory in Chile; The Magellan Telescopes at Las Campanas; And many others.

The CfA has been at forefront of astronomical research for over 130 years. Some notable achievements include:

Discovery of quasars by Maarten Schmidt while working at Palomar Observatory

First detection of gravitational waves by Rainer Weiss while working at MIT

First image ever taken of an extrasolar planet around a star similar to our Sun by David Charbonneau while working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at CfA

identification Of Dark Matter by Vera Rubin while working at Carnegie Institution for Science

For more information about current research projects please visit our website: http://www.cfa.harvard.edu