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Three Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Scientists to Be Honored at the 2026 Smithsonian Secretary's Research Prize Ceremony

Laura Brenneman and Catherine Zucker receive Secretary's Research Prizes; Rosanne Di Stefano to deliver the 13th annual Bruce William "Will" Morrison Memorial Lecture Cambridge, MA (October 27, 2026) ...
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Current Night Sky

Use the Moon to find Antares and the Teapot, spot brilliant Venus, welcome the equinox, and see the Harvest Moon near Saturn and Neptune. Sept. 14-20: Use the Moon to find Antares and the Teapot; dark ...
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CfA Postdoctoral Fellowship | SAO

Applications are now open for the 2027 CfA Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship. Please view the AAS posting for application instructions: https://aas.org/jobregister/ad ...
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Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE)

The Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) was a space-based solar observatory which operated from 1998 through 2010. TRACE primarily observed in ultraviolet light to map the small-scale ...
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Alien Planet Found Spiraling to its Doom around an Aging Star

Cambridge, Mass. – For the first time, astronomers have spotted an exoplanet whose orbit is decaying around an evolved, or older, host star. The stricken world appears destined to spiral closer and ...
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AI Helps Astronomers Discover a New Type of Supernova

Astronomers have discovered what may be a massive star exploding while trying to swallow a black hole, offering an explanation for one of the strangest supernovae ever seen. Cambridge, MA - ...
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Ready for its Close-up: New Technology Sharpens Images of Black Holes

Using new computational algorithms, scientists have measured a sharp ring of light predicted to originate from photons whipping around the back of a supermassive black hole. Cambridge, MA – When ...
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Astronomers Discover Rare Distant Object in Sync with Neptune

This object, called 2020 VN40, is the first confirmed body that orbits the sun once for every ten orbits Neptune completes. Cambridge, MA — A team of astronomers led by the Center for Astrophysics | ...
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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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The Most Precise Accounting Yet of Dark Energy and Dark Matter

Analyzing more than two decades' worth of supernova explosions convincingly bolsters modern cosmological theories and reinvigorates efforts to answer fundamental questions. Cambridge, MA – ...
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M87* One Year Later: Proof of a Persistent Black Hole Shadow

CfA astronomers helped lead a study discovering changes in the bright ring around M87's black hole, confirming the theoretical understanding of the variable and turbulent flow of material around black ...
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'Black Hole Police' Discover a Dormant Black Hole Outside of the Milky Way Galaxy

It is the first dormant stellar-mass black hole to be detected outside of the Milky Way galaxy, the team claims. "For the first time, our team got together to report on a black hole discovery, instead ...