The CfA is a collaboration of Harvard College Observatory (HCO) and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and home to Harvard's Department of Astronomy.

News Releases

September 22, 2014

What is a planet? For generations of kids the answer was easy. A big ball of rock or gas that orbited our Sun, and there were nine of them in our solar system. But then astronomers started finding more Pluto-sized objects orbiting beyond Neptune.

September 10, 2014

Dr. Philip M. Sadler of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) has been awarded the 2014 Technology and Innovation Award from the International Planetarium Society.

Latest Science Update

September 19, 2014

The Pleiades star cluster, a brilliant collection of several hundred stars visible in the winter sky near the constellation of Orion, has been admired by people for thousands of years; it is cited in the Bible and the works of Greek authors.

SI Specific Information

SI-specific information regarding the government shutdown may be found at alerts.si.edu. SAO staff are encouraged to review the website for updated information