Scientists to Unveil 'Major Discovery' at Harvard Astrophysics Center

This illustration summarizes the almost 14-billion-year-long history of our universe. 

It shows the main events that occurred between the initial phase of the cosmos, where its properties were almost uniform and punctuated only by tiny fluctuations, to the rich variety of cosmic structure that we observe today, ranging from stars and planets to galaxies and galaxy clusters. 

Credit: ESA and the Planck Collaboration

A team of scientists will unveil what they bill as a "major discovery" in the field of astrophysics on Monday (March 17) in a presentation at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

CfA officials did not detail the nature of the astrophysics discovery in a media alert. They only stated that the center will "host a press conference at 12:00 noon EDT (16:00 UTC) on Monday, March 17th, to announce a major discovery."

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is made up of the Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysics Observatory.

Scientists at the center pursue studies of those basic physical process that determine the nature and evolution of the universe," according to the CfA website's official description.