Astrophysics
How did the universe evolve? How can we explain its objects? Does life exist elsewhere? With remarkable new technologies, scientists are tracing the faintest of trails into the farthest reaches of space, allowing deeper exploration into the history of the universe and the panoply of objects within it, from exoplanets to supermassive black holes.
Astrophysics News
Explore the latest news, events, and discoveries from the field of astrophysics.
New instrumentation from the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe will help scientists study the early history of the universe
Mar 24, 2025
Researchers at the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research have proposed a way to solve two cosmic mysteries with a single underlying explanation
Feb 21, 2025
New research from Dong and colleagues has lent strong support to an alternative means of planet-forming, offering a fuller picture of the pathways to planethood
Dec 12, 2024
Astrophysics
Researchers report progress in their innovative efforts to demonstrate how the detection of unusual organometallic gases in exoplanets’ atmosphere could lock down a discovery of alien life
Dec 11, 2024
Kavli-Laukien Fellow Furkan Ozturk examines why life predominantly relies on amino acids, sugars, and other key ingredients with only certain mirror symmetry
Dec 03, 2024
Kavli-Laukien Fellow Peter Higgins zeroes in on the possibilities of life taking hold below the surfaces of worlds
Nov 04, 2024
With the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics celebrating its 20th anniversary, Abigail Vieregg looks forward to building on the institute’s successes
Jun 14, 2024
Rob Simcoe reflects on the institute’s successes and the exciting new research to come
Jun 06, 2024
Astrophysics Science Spotlights
MIT’s SuperFIRE instrument will enable inquiry into the cosmos, supporting the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope Program
Apr 23, 2024
Kavli Astrophysics Institutes
- Kavli Institute for Astronomy and AstrophysicsPeking University-Beijing
- Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space ResearchMassachusetts Institute of Technology
- Kavli Institute for Cosmological PhysicsUniversity of Chicago
- Kavli Institute for CosmologyUniversity of Cambridge
- Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and CosmologyStanford University
- Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the UniverseUniversity of Tokyo
Partnerships
The Kavli Prize in Astrophysics
The Kavli Prize in Astrophysics is awarded for outstanding achievement in advancing our knowledge and understanding of the origin, evolution and properties of the universe, including the fields of cosmology, astrophysics, astronomy, planetary science, solar physics, space science, astrobiology, astronomical and astrophysical instrumentation, and particle astrophysics.
The heaven is the largest laboratory of all, so big and powerful it excites and astounds our imagination. Scientists are unlocking the secrets of the universe from the beginning into eternity, thanks to astrophysics.
- Fred Kavli