The
Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) is one of the largest and most diverse astrophysical institutions in the world, where scientists carry out a broad program of research in
astronomyAstronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere...
,
astrophysicsAstrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects such as galaxies, stars, planets, exoplanets, and the interstellar medium, as well as their...
,
earthEarth science , is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet...
and
space scienceSpace science is an all-encompassing term that describes all of the various science fields that are concerned with the study of the Universe, generally also meaning "excluding the Earth" and "outside of the Earth's atmosphere". Originally, all of these fields were considered part of astronomy...
s, and
science educationScience education is the field concerned with sharing science content and process with individuals not traditionally considered part of the scientific community. The target individuals may be children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education comprises...
. The center's mission is to advance our knowledge and understanding of the
universeThe Universe comprises everything that physically exists, the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter and energy, and the physical laws and constants that govern them...
through research and education in astronomy and astrophysics.
The center was founded in 1973 as a joint venture between the
Smithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines...
and
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
.
The
Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) is one of the largest and most diverse astrophysical institutions in the world, where scientists carry out a broad program of research in
astronomyAstronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere...
,
astrophysicsAstrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects such as galaxies, stars, planets, exoplanets, and the interstellar medium, as well as their...
,
earthEarth science , is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet...
and
space scienceSpace science is an all-encompassing term that describes all of the various science fields that are concerned with the study of the Universe, generally also meaning "excluding the Earth" and "outside of the Earth's atmosphere". Originally, all of these fields were considered part of astronomy...
s, and
science educationScience education is the field concerned with sharing science content and process with individuals not traditionally considered part of the scientific community. The target individuals may be children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education comprises...
. The center's mission is to advance our knowledge and understanding of the
universeThe Universe comprises everything that physically exists, the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter and energy, and the physical laws and constants that govern them...
through research and education in astronomy and astrophysics.
The center was founded in 1973 as a joint venture between the
Smithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines...
and
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
. It consists of the
Harvard College ObservatoryThe Harvard College Observatory is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Harvard University Department of Astronomy. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and was founded in 1839...
and the
Smithsonian Astrophysical ObservatoryThe Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is a research institute of the Smithsonian Institution headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it is joined with the Harvard College Observatory to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics .-History:The SAO was founded in 1890 by...
. The center's main facility is located between Concord Avenue and Garden Street, with its mailing address and main entrance at 60 Garden Street,
Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, a nexus of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Notably, Cambridge is home to two internationally prominent...
. Beyond this location there are also additional satellite facilities elsewhere around the globe. The current director of the CfA,
Charles R. AlcockDr. Charles Roger Alcock, Ph.D. is the current director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is also Acting Undersecretary for Science for the Smithsonian Institution.Alcock joined the Center for Astrophysics in August 2004...
, was named in 2004. The director from 1982 to 2004 was
Irwin I. ShapiroIrwin I. Shapiro is an American astrophysicist. Since 1982, he has been a professor at Harvard University. Shapiro was director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 1982 to 2004.- Biography :...
.
Ground-based observatories
- Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory
The Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and is their largest field installation outside of their main site in Cambridge, MA...
- Magellan telescopes
The Magellan Telescopes are a pair of 6.5 m diameter optical telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. The two telescopes are named after the astronomer Walter Baade and the philanthropist Landon Clay....
- MMT Observatory
The MMT Observatory is an astronomical observatory on the site of Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory . The Whipple observatory complex is located on Mount Hopkins, Arizona, USA in the Santa Rita Mountains...
- South Pole Telescope
The South Pole Telescope is a 10 meter The South Pole Telescope (SPT) is a 10 meter The South Pole Telescope (SPT) is a 10 meter (394 in diameter telescope located at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica. It is a microwave/millimeter-wave telescope that observes in a frequency...
- Submillimeter Array
The Submillimeter Array consists of eight 6 m diameter radio telescopes arranged as an interferometer for submillimeter wavelength observations...
- 1.2-Meter Millimeter-Wave Telescope
- Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS)
is a new major ground-based gamma-ray observatory with an array of four 12m optical reflectors for gamma-ray astronomy in the GeV - TeV energy range. The telescope design is based on the design of the existing of the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory...
Space-based observatories
- Chandra X-ray Observatory
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is a satellite launched on STS-93 by NASA on July 23, 1999. It was named in honor of Indian-American physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar who is known for determining the mass limit for white dwarf stars to become neutron stars. "Chandra" also means "moon" or...
- Hinode
Hinode , formerly known as Solar-B, is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Solar mission with United States and United Kingdom collaboration...
- Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
- Spitzer Space Telescope
The Spitzer Space Telescope is an infrared space observatory launched in 2003...
Future plans
- Giant Magellan Telescope
The Giant Magellan Telescope is a ground-based telescope planned for completion in 2018. It will consist of seven diameter primary segments, with the resolving power of a primary mirror and collecting area equivalent to one...
- Murchison Widefield Array
The Murchison Widefield Array is a joint project between MIT, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Raman Research Institute and an Australian consortium of universities, to build a radio astronomy array operating in the frequency range 80-300 MHz...
- Square Kilometer Array
- Pan-STARRS
Pan-STARRS is a planned astronomical survey that will conduct astrometry and photometry of much of the entire sky on a continuous basis...
- Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope is a planned wide-field "survey" reflecting telescope that will photograph the available sky every three nights...
- Constellation-X Observatory
Directors
- George B. Field
George B. Field is an American astrophysicist.- Education and career :As an undergraduate he initially studied chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before switching to astrophysics. He later attended the graduate school at Princeton University...
: 1973-1982
- Irwin I. Shapiro
Irwin I. Shapiro is an American astrophysicist. Since 1982, he has been a professor at Harvard University. Shapiro was director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 1982 to 2004.- Biography :...
: 1982-2004
- Charles R. Alcock
Dr. Charles Roger Alcock, Ph.D. is the current director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is also Acting Undersecretary for Science for the Smithsonian Institution.Alcock joined the Center for Astrophysics in August 2004...
: 2004-Present
External links