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# Mysteries of the Universe

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Beginning with studies of our sun in 1890, the Smithsonian has been answering questions about our atmosphere and beyond for more than a century. The Center for Astophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian advances our knowledge and understanding of the universe through research and education in astronomy and astrophysics. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum maintains the world’s largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft and is a vital center for research with its Center for Earth and Planetary Studies.
Understanding Our Sun and Solar System
Our solar system, located in the Milky Way Galaxy, is our celestial neighborhood. It consists of eight planets, several dwarf planets, dozens of moons, and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. Scientists at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian are studying our sun’s past, present, and future. The National Air and Space Museum’s Center for Planetary Studies is studying the history of our solar system to find if life may have once existed on a planet other than our own. The museum also features galleries and exhibitions focused on inspiring the world to think about our place in the solar system. 
       Smithsonian Sparks  A Solar Probe Is on Its Way to Touch the Sun         The journey will culminate in 2024 with its closest ever approach of 3.83 million miles.         Smithsonian Sparks  Why Does the Sun Flip Its Magnetic Field Every 11 Years         Scientists may now be able to explain why the Sun’s magnetic field reverses every eleven years.         National Air and Space Museum  Our Solar System
Discover our planetary neighborhood—as if from interstellar space, moving in toward our sun.
       Smithsonian Voices  A Small Sample Tells a Big Story
Samples of the asteroid will potentially answer dozens of questions about Earth’s deep history and the origins of the solar system. 
Understanding the Nature of the Universe
What is the universe made of? How did it begin? How has it evolved over the 13.8 billion years since its origin? These are some of the questions addressed by cosmology, the study of the universe as a whole. Smithsonian astronomers and astrophysicists use observational and theoretical techniques to help us answer other "big questions" of the universe. What do black holes look like? Is there life on other planets? What are dark energy and dark matter?
       Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian  Big Questions
Explore humanity’s greatest unresolved questions about the nature of the universe and see how research is bringing us closer to answers than ever before.
       Smithsonian Sparks  Probing the Beginning of the Universe         Learn how observations we make today can give clues to the universe’s origin.         Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory  Chandra Data Tests "Theory of Everything"
Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have made one of the first experimental tests of string theory.
       Smithsonian Snapshot  Confirmation at Last of a Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way         Eight radio observatories across the planet formed a single “Earth-sized” virtual telescope to capture the image.         Smithsonian Sparks  What If You Could Hear Space?         Learn how scientists are translating data captured by telescopes into sound.          Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian  Looking at Space
The Center for Astrophysics participates in every aspect of the process: designing, building, and using advanced observatories and labs that lead to breakthrough science.
Exploring Space
The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum preserves milestone objects used in space exploration, from the Apollo 11 command module Columbia to the space shuttle Discovery, and helps understand what we find on these missions. The museum's researchers also help identify exciting research sites on Mars, other planets, and their moons, to guide exploratory missions aiming to find potential landing sites for future crewed missions.
       National Air and Space Museum  Spacecraft
Learn about different types of spacecraft, both crewed and uncrewed, used for space exploration.
       National Air and Space Museum  Human Spaceflight
In July of 1969, the first human stepped on the surface of the Moon. Today human spaceflight continues with programs such as the International Space Station.
       National Air and Space Museum  5 Things On Board NASA's Artemis I Mission
Although this mission didn't have any astronauts riding along, there were other items on board for the occasion.
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