CfA Science in the Press at AAS 247

CfA scientists are authors on 77 presentations, and four press conferences during the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society

Cambridge, Mass. (December 22, 2025)— New scientific results from across the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) will be revealed at multiple press conferences and presentations during the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) from January 5-8, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Presentations will highlight new research, including a deeper look into little red dots, a more complete census of active galactic nuclei, and uncovering properties of early universe dwarf galaxies, a look at Betelgeuse’s binary companion.

Press conferences will be held in person and streamed live on the AAS Press Office YouTube Channel.

All press conferences are listed and will occur in Mountain Standard Time.

Monday, 5 January 2026, 2:15 pm MST – Stars and Their Behavior Stream the recording here

New Spectroscopic Signatures of the Long Secondary Period in Betelgeuse Andrea Dupree (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory) [118.05] (1)

An All-Sky Spectroscopic Reconnaissance of More Than 2,100 K Dwarfs Within 40 Parsecs Jose Carrazco Gaxiola (Georgia State University) [231.06] | (2)

Tuesday, 6 January 2026, 10:15 am MST – News from the High-Redshift Universe Stream the recording here

Supermassive Stars as the Engines Behind JWST's Little Red Dots Devesh Nandal (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian) [262.07] | (4)

Thursday, 8 January 2026, 2:15 pm MST – Active Galactic Nuclei Across the Universe You can stream the recording here

From Dwarfs to Giants: A Complete Census of Active Galactic Nuclei Mugdha Polimera (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian) [305.08] | (2)

Each press conference consists of a panel of scientists presenting 4-5 unique scientific results; listed here are those from CfA and affiliated scientists. The number in parentheses indicates the order of presentation for the listed result.

For embargo access for members of the press, please contact Christine Buckley at christine.buckley@cfa.harvard.edu or Amy C. Oliver, FRAS at amy.oliver@cfa.harvard.edu

In addition to the press conferences, 77 projects with new and ongoing science and education results from CfA facilities and scientists will be presented during AAS 247 conference oral and poster sessions.

CfA’s Whipple Observatory will also be featured during the Astronomy in Arizona special session and in all-day and featured tours on Friday, January 9th, following the conference. More information about booking tours with Whipple Observatory can be found on the AAS “Observatory Tours” page.

About the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian is a collaboration between Harvard and the Smithsonian designed to ask—and ultimately answer—humanity's greatest unresolved questions about the nature of the universe. The Center for Astrophysics is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with research facilities across the U.S. and around the world.

Media Contacts

Christine Buckley
Director of Communications
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Tel: +1 617 599 9628
christine.buckley@cfa.harvard.edu

Amy C. Oliver, FRAS
Public Affairs Officer
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Tel: +1 520 686 8712
Tel: +1 801 783 9067 (Whatsapp)
amy.oliver@cfa.harvard.edu