Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA)

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was founded in 1973 as a collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and the Harvard College Observatory. It has more than 850 scientists, researchers and staff, and the CfA estimates that about 10% of the US astrophysics community was educated there. Its director is Lisa Kewley.

Flagship instruments and services

• Chandra X-ray Center: SAO operates NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
• Astrophysics Data System (ADS): the standard literature database for astronomy and physics.
• Observatories: the CfA leads or takes part in more than fifteen, including the forthcoming Giant Magellan Telescope.

Recent results

The CfA’s roots run deep. At the Harvard College Observatory, Henrietta Leavitt found the Cepheid period-luminosity relation in 1912, the yardstick behind cosmic distances, and Cecilia Payne showed in her 1925 thesis what stars are made of. More recently the CfA was part of the team behind the first image of a black hole with the Event Horizon Telescope in 2019.

In 2026 the CfA’s biggest story was Chandra’s survival: Congress funded it for FY2026 at “not less than $63M,” $11 million below full-mission cost, and restored General Observer grants to about $10.5 million.

What to watch, 2026-2030

• From October 2026: FY2027 appropriations decide Chandra’s operating level; the President’s request does not mention it.
• 2026-2027: the Giant Magellan Telescope’s NSF final design review.
• A new 10-year scientific strategic plan, in preparation.

Why scientists are converging here

The CfA sits at the junction of black hole imaging, X-ray astronomy, exoplanets and the literature infrastructure everyone relies on. As US science budgets come under pressure, its role running Chandra and ADS makes it one of the institutions the field watches most closely.