Astronomy
Two Smithsonian Scientists Receive Presidential Award
An astrophysicist and a conservation biologist each receive one of the highest honors in science
September 30, 2011 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Inside the Double-Sun Planet Discovery
How Smithsonian and Harvard scientists discovered the planet that orbits two stars
September 23, 2011 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Weekend Events: June 17-19: Sun Spots, Tom Hanks, and the Greensboro Lunch Counter
Visit the Smithsonian museums to look at some of the wonders of the universe and dive into the Portrait Gallery for a double feature
June 16, 2011 |
By Brittany Dant
Brilliant Space Photos From Chandra and Spitzer
Two unsung space telescopes create eye-opening images of the universe from light we can't see
February 2011 |
By Abigail Tucker
What's Next in Space?
Probes and landers sent into the final frontier will bring us closer to answering cosmic mysteries
August 2010 |
By Mark Strauss
Asteroid Hunters
Astronomers are determined to protect human beings from inanimate outer space invaders
August 2010 |
By Robert Irion
Wednesday Roundup: Protostars, Movie Stars, Maps of Stars and More
Spielberg and Lucas on Rockwell: In honor of the American Art Museum’s current exhibit entitled “Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg,” filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau interviewed both movie moguls about the 20th century painter and illus...
July 21, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Far Sighted
The Chandra X-Ray Center at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Laboratory helps scientists observe a fantastic range of phenomena
June 2010 |
By G. Wayne Clough
Dark Energy: The Biggest Mystery in the Universe
At the South Pole, astronomers try to unravel a force greater than gravity that will determine the fate of the cosmos
April 2010 |
By Richard Panek
The Secrets Within Cosmic Dust
Dust captured by a spacecraft from a comet's tail holds clues to the origin of the solar system
December 2009 |
By Robert Irion
Close Encounters at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
It seems the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory has been experiencing close encounters of the furred kind. Beginning in 2008, scientists noticed that a strange being—or beings—began paying repeat visits to the building that houses the MEarth project—a collective of eight robotic telescopes desig...
September 15, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Mount Whitney Hut Turns 100
A convergence of rather significant, albeit obscure, anniversaries are at hand. One being the 400th anniversary of Galileo's demonstration of the telescope, which took place on Tuesday of this week and the other is today's 100th anniversary of the completion a stone hut that Smithsonian astronomers...
August 27, 2009 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
Apollo 11's Giant Leap for Mankind
40 years ago, the lunar module landed on the moon, providing an unforgettable moment for the millions watching back on Earth
August 2009 |
By Owen Edwards
Galileo's Vision
Four hundred years ago, the Italian scientist looked into space and changed our view of the universe
August 2009 |
By David Zax
Galileo's Instruments of Discovery
With these various instruments, Galileo Galilei was able to look into space and change our view of the universe.
July 20, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Day 4: Peak Conditions for a New Telescope
Secretary Clough scopes out the site for the Giant Magellan Telescope and bids goodbye to Las Campanas
May 27, 2009 |
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Day 3: The Excitement of Astronomy
A daytime tour of the Magellan facility and its surrounding hillside is topped off by a perfect evening of stargazing
May 26, 2009 |
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Day 2: Stargazing in the Andes Mountains
Up high among wild burros and llamas, a Smithsonian astronomer observes and studies the millions of stars in the sky
May 25, 2009 |
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Day 1: A Stop in Santiago
Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough explores Santiago before heading to the Las Campanas Observatory in the Chilean Andes
May 24, 2009 |
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
The Hubble Space Telescope’s Finest Photos
Now that the telescope has received its final upgrades, we look back on Hubble's most memorable images from space
May 06, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
