December 16, 2011 Magnetic Fields May Rock Cosmic Cradles for Unborn Stars News Release: www.space.com
article by Charles Q. Choi "Using the Submillimeter Array of radio telescopes in Hawaii, the researchers observed giant molecular clouds in M33's spiral arms."

December 1, 2011 Hot Cores in Dark Clouds Science Update The earliest stages in the life of a star are among the most mysterious. This is primarily because stars form inside dark clouds of material that block optical light, and because they form relatively quickly, in only hundred of thousands of years, whereas once a star starts burning its hydrogen fuel it can last for billions of years.

November 17, 2011 Magnetic Fields Set Stage for Birth of New Stars News Release: sciencedaily.com "Astronomers at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have, for the first time, measured the alignment of magnetic fields in gigantic clouds of gas and dust in a distant galaxy..."

November 3, 2011 Water and Ammonia Factories Science Update Complex molecules, including many organic species, exist in a wide range of environments in the cosmos, and are especially abundant in giant molecular clouds of gas and dust where new stars form.

September 8, 2011 Dark Clouds in Space Science Update How do massive stars form? Stars with more than about eight times as much mass as the sun are arguably the most important actors in the universe.

August 25, 2011 Making Massive Stars Science Update How do massive stars form? Stars with more than about eight times as much mass as the sun are arguably the most important actors in the universe.

July 11, 2011 SMA Event: SMA Community Day The meeting format will consist of both scientific and technical talks with ample time for discussion and questions. The scientific program will run before lunch. In the early afternoon, a technical program will introduce the SMA to assist those thinking about or planning SMA observations. While primarily intended for the CfA community, the meeting is open to astronomers from other institutions. There is no registration fee, but if you plan to attend, we would appreciate it if you could register below so that we can determine how many people to expect.

May 24, 2011 Want to Make Planets? Better Hurry. News Release: Universe Today
article by Jon Voisey "Currently, astronomers have two competing models for planetary formation. In one, the planets form in a single, monolithic collapse. In the second, the core forms first and then slowly accretes gas and dust. However, in both situations, the process must be complete before the radiation pressure from the star blows away the gas and dust. While this much is certain, the exact time frames have remained another matter of debate. It is expected that this amount should be somewhere in the millions of years, but low end estimates place it at only a few million, whereas upper limits have been around 10 million."

April 4, 2011 NSF Will Transfer Prototype Radio Antenna to Center for Astrophysics News Release This antenna will operate as a pathfinder for the SMA and other interferometers like CARMA and the Plateau de Buré, and will also act as a test-bed for potential ALMA instrument development at the CfA" said SMA director Ray Blundell.

March 24, 2011 Magnetic Fields in Interstellar Clouds Science Update Magnetic Fields in Interstellar Clouds Thursday, March 24, 2011 Science Update - A look at CfA discoveries from recent journals Magnetic fields play an important role in the formation and evolution of stars, as they stretch around a hot medium like a rubber band and help to determine the flow of material onto or away from the star.

March 10, 2011 The Rich Chemistry Around an Evolved Star Science Update Over 170 molecules have been detected in space, from simple diatomic molecules like CO to complex organic molecules with over 70 atoms, like fullerene.

February 17, 2011 A Wealth of Molecules in an Extreme Galaxy Science Update Arp 220 is the closest galaxy to the Milly Way with an extreme luminosity, defined as being more than about 300 times that of our own galaxy. Some dramatic galaxies have values of luminosity ten times brighter still.