Haystack Observatory

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a global network of radio telescopes that work together as one virtual, Earth-sized telescope, with a resolution sharp enough to “see” a black hole’s shadow.

Astronomers capture first image of a black hole

ESO, ALMA, and APEX contribute to paradigm-shifting observations of the gargantuan black hole at the heart of the galaxy Messier 87. (Press release)

April 10, 2019

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) — a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration — was designed to capture images of a black hole. In coordinated press conferences across the globe, EHT researchers revealed that they succeeded, unveiling the first direct visual evidence of the supermassive black hole in the center of Messier 87 and its ...

Working together as a “virtual telescope,” observatories around the world produce first direct images of a black hole

Images reveal supermassive black hole at the heart of the Messier 87 galaxy.

April 10, 2019

Pablo Jarillo-Herrero (right), an associate professor of physics at MIT, was honored with Physics World's Breakthrough of the Year for his group's discovery of “magic-angle” graphene, a “promising technique for adjusting the electronic properties of graphene.” Graduate student Yuan Cao (left) was a lead researcher in the work.

MIT research honored with Physics World “Breakthrough of the Year” awards

"Magic-angle" graphene named 2018 Breakthrough of the Year; first ionic plane and earliest evidence of hydrogen gas named to top 10 breakthroughs.

December 27, 2018

Researchers found that electron density in the nighttime ionosphere (the part of our atmosphere where auroras occur) was dramatically reduced by the effects of sudden stratospheric warming for several days: A significant hole was formed that stretched across hemispheres from latitudes 55 degrees S to 45 degrees N.

Study: Hole in ionosphere is caused by sudden stratospheric warming

Research led by the MIT Haystack Observatory finds arctic winter stratospheric events dramatically affect the ionosphere at night.

August 6, 2018

MIT Haystack Observatory in Westford, Massachusetts (pictured), and the Onsala Space Observatory in Onsala, Sweden are celebrating 50 years since the first transatlantic geodetic very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations.

Celebrating 50 years of transatlantic geodetic radio science

Researchers mark a silver anniversary for a space geodesy technique pioneered at MIT.

April 5, 2018

Artist's rendering of the universe's first, massive, blue stars in gaseous filaments, with the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at the edges. Using radio observations of the distant universe, NSF-funded researchers Judd Bowman of Arizona State University, Alan Rogers of MIT, and others discovered the influence of such early stars on primordial gas. The team inferred the stars' presence from dimmi...

Astronomers detect earliest evidence yet of hydrogen in the universe

Emitted just 180 million years after Big Bang, signal indicates universe was much colder than expected.

February 28, 2018

This graphic shows atmospheric bow waves forming during the August 2017 eclipse over the continental United States.

Solar eclipse caused bow waves in Earth's atmosphere

MIT Haystack Observatory researchers find that the moon's shadow created long-predicted ionospheric bow waves during the August eclipse.

January 19, 2018

Several thousand people gathered at MIT to watch the partial solar eclipse on Aug. 21.

Experiencing the Great American Solar Eclipse

Thousands attend MIT solar eclipse-watching parties on campus, at the MIT Wallace Observatory, and in Rexburg, Idaho.

August 29, 2017

The Millstone Hill radar facility at MIT Haystack Observatory in Westford, Massachusetts

Investigating space weather effects of the 2017 solar eclipse

Atmospheric scientists at the MIT Haystack Observatory will study North American eclipse effects on space weather with radar and navigational satellites.

August 17, 2017

John Foster is a senior research scientist at the Haystack Observatory.

MIT Haystack Observatory's John Foster named AGU Fellow

Distinguished atmospheric scientist recognized for lifetime of accomplishments.

July 28, 2017

Artist's depiction of NASA's Van Allen Probes, with the Van Allen radiation belts rendered in false color for visibility

Understanding anthropogenic effects on space weather

New research from MIT Haystack Observatory reviews the ways in which human activity affects space weather around Earth.

May 31, 2017

Seeing black holes and beyond

Through an international effort led by MIT Haystack Observatory, the ALMA array in Chile has joined a global network of radio telescopes.

April 4, 2017

Earth’s magnetosphere is depicted with the high-energy particles of the Van Allen radiation belts (shown in red) and various processes responsible for accelerating these particles to relativistic energies indicated.

For the first time, spacecraft catch a solar shockwave in the act

Solar storm found to produce “ultrarelativistic, killer electrons” in 60 seconds.

February 19, 2015

This image shows a color-coded geographic representation of ultra-relativistic electron fluxes, based on orbital tracks of the Van Allen Probe B spacecraft projected onto the geographical equatorial plane. As the spacecraft precesses in its elliptical orbit around the Earth, it forms a “spirograph” pattern in the Earth-centered coordinate system. Inside of this radial distance is an almost com...

Plasma shield

Researchers find that Earth’s “plasmaspheric hiss” protects against a harmful radiation belt.

November 26, 2014

Going to the Red Planet

An MIT oxygen-creating instrument has been selected to fly on the upcoming Mars 2020 mission.

July 31, 2014

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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