South African Astronomical Observatory
Encyclopedia
South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) is the national center for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa. It was established in 1972. The observatory is run by the National Research Foundation of South Africa
. The facility's function is to conduct research in astronomy
and astrophysics
. The primary telescopes are located in Sutherland
, which is 370 kilometres (229.9 mi) from Observatory, Cape Town
, which is where the headquarters is located.
The SAAO has international links worldwide that exchange scientific and technological collaboration. Contributions from the South African Astronomical Observatory to the science
field include the development of a spherical aberration corrector and the Southern African Large Telescope, otherwise known as SALT.
The Noon Gun
on Cape Town's Signal Hill
is fired remotely by a time signal from the Observatory.
at the Cape of Good Hope was founded in 1820, the first scientific institution in Africa. Construction of the main buildings were completed in 1829 at a cost of £30,000 (equivalent to £ in ).
The post of Her Majesty's astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope was awarded the Royal Medal
on two occasions; the first to Thomas Maclear
in 1869 for measurement of an arc of the meridian at the Cape of Good Hope and the second to David Gill
in 1903 for researches in solar and stellar parallax, and his energetic direction of the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope.
During the 1970s, the Republic Observatory in Johannesburg and the Radcliffe Observatory
in Pretoria merged with the much older Royal Observatory to form the South African Astronomical Observatory.
SAAO was established in January 1972 as a result of a joint agreement by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) of South Africa and Science and Engineering Research Council
(SERC) of United Kingdom. The headquarters are located on the grounds of the old Royal Observatory where the main building, offices, national library for astronomy and computer facilities are housed. Historic telescopes are also found at the headquarters in a number of domes and a small museum that displays scientific instruments. The South African Astronomical Observatory is administered as a National Facility under management of the National Research Foundation (NRF), now formerly Foundation for Research Development (FRD). In 1974, when the Radcliffe Observatory in Pretoria closed, the Royal Observatory and the Republic Observatory combined facilities. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) purchased the 1.9 Radcliffe telescope and transported it to Sutherland.
, Cape Town
.
The major observing facilities are however located near the town of Sutherland
some 370 kilometres (229.9 mi) from Cape Town
.
and completed in 1897. It was officially opened on 10 September 1901 by Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson
.
, Cape Town
and consists of six 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) and one 3.4 metres (11.2 ft) antennas suitable for work at 1.4 GHz.
reflector.
.
, Cape Town
, but has since moved to the Sutherland site. This telescope participates in the PLANET
network.
Other studies the telescope participated in include:
in Texas. The MONET telescopes are Robotic telescope
controllable via the Internet and was constructed by the University of Göttingen. Remote Telescope Markup Language
is used to control the telescopes remotely.
in Pretoria
and was operated between 1948 and 1972. In 1972 it was moved to Sutherland
. Between 1951 and 2004 it was the largest telescope in South Africa
.
SALT was inaugurated in November 2005. It is the largest single optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, with a hexagonal mirror array 11 meters across. SALT shares similarities with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope
(HET) in Texas. The Southern African Large Telescope gathers twenty-five times as much light as any other existing African Telescope. With this larger mirror array, SALT can record distant star
s, galaxies and quasars.
s, the one located at SAAO Sutherland
and the other at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory
on the island of La Palma
in the Canaries
. WASP-17b
, the first exoplanet known to have a retrograde orbit was discovered in 2009 using this array.
and was based on the design of KELT-North, which was conceived and designed at the Ohio State University
, Department of Astronomy. The KELT-South telescope will serve as a counterpart to its northern twin, surveying the southern sky for transiting planets over the next few years.
Used for the monitoring of variable stars and other transient events. This telescope is a joint project between SAAO and the Yonsei University
, Korea
.
constructed the SAGOS between 1998 and 2000.
SAGOS consist of a 1 Hz permanent GPS station, a superconducting gravimeter, meteorological sensors, and a tri-axial magnetometer. The GPS station is also used in support of the CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload
(CHAMP) and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
(GRACE) space missions.
National Research Foundation of South Africa
South Africa’s National Research Foundation is the intermediary agency between the policies and strategies of the Government of South Africa and South Africa's research institutions....
. The facility's function is to conduct research in astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
. The primary telescopes are located in Sutherland
Sutherland, Northern Cape
- External links :* * *...
, which is 370 kilometres (229.9 mi) from Observatory, Cape Town
Observatory, Cape Town
Observatory is a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, bordered by Mowbray to the south, and Salt River to the north. The area is best known as student neighborhood, most of whom attend the University of Cape Town located close by, and for being the home of the South African Astronomical Observatory...
, which is where the headquarters is located.
The SAAO has international links worldwide that exchange scientific and technological collaboration. Contributions from the South African Astronomical Observatory to the science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
field include the development of a spherical aberration corrector and the Southern African Large Telescope, otherwise known as SALT.
The Noon Gun
Noon Gun
The Noon Gun has been an historic time signal in Cape Town, South Africa since 1806. The gun is situated on Signal Hill, close to the centre of the city.- History :...
on Cape Town's Signal Hill
Signal Hill (Cape Town)
Signal Hill aka Lion's Rump, is a landmark flat-topped hill located in Cape Town, next to Lion's Head and Table Mountain.The hill is also known as "The Lion's Flank", but this term is obsolete...
is fired remotely by a time signal from the Observatory.
History
The history of the SAAO began when the Royal ObservatoryRoyal Observatory
Royal Observatory may refer to:* The Royal Observatory, Greenwich * The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh* Before 1997, Hong Kong Observatory* The Royal Observatory of Belgium, Uccle...
at the Cape of Good Hope was founded in 1820, the first scientific institution in Africa. Construction of the main buildings were completed in 1829 at a cost of £30,000 (equivalent to £ in ).
The post of Her Majesty's astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope was awarded the Royal Medal
Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, is a silver-gilt medal awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge" and one for "distinguished contributions in the applied sciences" made within the Commonwealth of...
on two occasions; the first to Thomas Maclear
Thomas Maclear
Sir Thomas Maclear was an Irish-born South African astronomer who became Her Majesty's astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope....
in 1869 for measurement of an arc of the meridian at the Cape of Good Hope and the second to David Gill
David Gill (astronomer)
Sir David Gill FRS was a Scottish astronomer who is known for measuring astronomical distances, for astrophotography, and for geodesy. He spent much of his career in South Africa.- Life and work :...
in 1903 for researches in solar and stellar parallax, and his energetic direction of the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope.
During the 1970s, the Republic Observatory in Johannesburg and the Radcliffe Observatory
Radcliffe Observatory
Radcliffe Observatory was the astronomical observatory of Oxford University from 1773 until 1934, when the Radcliffe Trustees sold it and erected a new observatory in Pretoria, South Africa. It is a grade I listed building.- History :...
in Pretoria merged with the much older Royal Observatory to form the South African Astronomical Observatory.
SAAO was established in January 1972 as a result of a joint agreement by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research is South Africa's central and premier scientific research and development organisation. It was established by an act of parliament in 1945 and is situated on its own campus in the city of Pretoria...
(CSIR) of South Africa and Science and Engineering Research Council
Science and Engineering Research Council
The Science and Engineering Research Council used to be the UK agency in charge of publicly funded scientific and engineering research activities including astronomy, biotechnology and biological sciences, space research and particle physics...
(SERC) of United Kingdom. The headquarters are located on the grounds of the old Royal Observatory where the main building, offices, national library for astronomy and computer facilities are housed. Historic telescopes are also found at the headquarters in a number of domes and a small museum that displays scientific instruments. The South African Astronomical Observatory is administered as a National Facility under management of the National Research Foundation (NRF), now formerly Foundation for Research Development (FRD). In 1974, when the Radcliffe Observatory in Pretoria closed, the Royal Observatory and the Republic Observatory combined facilities. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) purchased the 1.9 Radcliffe telescope and transported it to Sutherland.
Facilities
The observatory operates from the ground of the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope that was established in 1820 in the suburb of ObservatoryObservatory, Cape Town
Observatory is a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, bordered by Mowbray to the south, and Salt River to the north. The area is best known as student neighborhood, most of whom attend the University of Cape Town located close by, and for being the home of the South African Astronomical Observatory...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
.
The major observing facilities are however located near the town of Sutherland
Sutherland, Northern Cape
- External links :* * *...
some 370 kilometres (229.9 mi) from Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
.
McClean telescope
Also known as the Victoria telescope, this telescope is fitted with a 24 inches (61 cm) photographic objective and a 18 inches (45.7 cm) visual objective. The telescope was built by GrubbSir Howard Grubb, Parsons and Co. Ltd.
Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons and Co. Ltd. was a telescope manufacturer, more commonly known as Grubb Parsons based in Newcastle upon Tyne.-History:...
and completed in 1897. It was officially opened on 10 September 1901 by Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson
Walter Hely-Hutchinson
Sir Walter Francis Hely-Hutchinson GCMG was an Anglo-Irish diplomat and colonial administrator.-Biography:He was the son of Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore, He attended the University of Cambridge....
.
Phased Experimental Demonstrator (PED)
The PED was built by members of the Karoo Array Telescope team in order to gain experience in the construction of interferometric telescopes. It is located on the grounds of the SAAO Headoffice in ObservatoryObservatory, Cape Town
Observatory is a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, bordered by Mowbray to the south, and Salt River to the north. The area is best known as student neighborhood, most of whom attend the University of Cape Town located close by, and for being the home of the South African Astronomical Observatory...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
and consists of six 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) and one 3.4 metres (11.2 ft) antennas suitable for work at 1.4 GHz.
0.50m telescope
This 0.5 metres (19.7 in) reflector was originally built for the Republic Observatory in 1967, but was moved to the Sutherland site in 1972.0.75m telescope
A 0.75 metres (29.5 in) Grubb ParsonsSir Howard Grubb, Parsons and Co. Ltd.
Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons and Co. Ltd. was a telescope manufacturer, more commonly known as Grubb Parsons based in Newcastle upon Tyne.-History:...
reflector.
Alan Cousins Telescope (ACT)
This 29.5 inches (74.9 cm) telescope was originally called the Automatic Photometric Telescope, but has been renamed the Alan Cousins Telescope in honour of Alan William James CousinsAlan William James Cousins
Alan William James Cousins was a South African astronomer.He was the eldest of four children, and his father Clarence Wilfred Cousins was a senior civil servant who served for a time as Secretary of Labour...
.
BiSON
One of six telescopes in the Birmingham Solar Oscillations NetworkBirmingham Solar Oscillations Network
The Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network consists of a network of six remote solar observatories monitoring low-degree solar oscillation modes. It is operated by the High Resolution Optical Spectroscopy group of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham, UK, in...
Elizabeth Telescope
This 40 inches (1 m) telescope was originally located at SAAO Headoffice in ObservatoryObservatory, Cape Town
Observatory is a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, bordered by Mowbray to the south, and Salt River to the north. The area is best known as student neighborhood, most of whom attend the University of Cape Town located close by, and for being the home of the South African Astronomical Observatory...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, but has since moved to the Sutherland site. This telescope participates in the PLANET
Probing Lensing Anomalies Network
The Probing Lensing Anomalies NETwork collaboration coordinates a network of telescopes to rapidly sample photometric measurements of the magnification of stars in the galactic bulge undergoing gravitational microlensing by intervening foreground stars...
network.
Infrared Survey Facility (IRSF)
The IRSF is a 140 centimetres (55.1 in) reflector fitted with a 3 colour Infrared Imager. Originally built as part of the Magellanic Clouds - A Thorough Study grant from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2000.Other studies the telescope participated in include:
- The Indian Department of SpaceDepartment of SpaceThe Department of Space is an Indian government department responsible for administration of the Indian space program.The Indian Space Research Organization is the primary research and development arm of the DoS...
used this telescope for the Near Infrared Survey of the Nuclear Regions of the Milky Way in order to improve on data from the DENIS and 2MASS2MASSObservations for the Two Micron All-Sky Survey began in 1997 and were completed in 2001 at two telescopes located one each in the northern and southern hemispheres to ensure coverage of the entire sky...
Astronomical surveys.
MONET
One of the two 1.2 metres (47.2 in) telescopes of the MOnitoring NEtwork of Telescopes Project is located at Sutherland, its twin can be found at the McDonald ObservatoryMcDonald Observatory
The McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas...
in Texas. The MONET telescopes are Robotic telescope
Robotic telescope
A robotic telescope is an astronomical telescope and detector system that makes observations without the intervention of a human. In astronomical disciplines, a telescope qualifies as robotic if it makes those observations without being operated by a human, even if a human has to initiate the...
controllable via the Internet and was constructed by the University of Göttingen. Remote Telescope Markup Language
Remote Telescope Markup Language
The Remote Telescope Markup Language is an XML dialect for controlling remote and/or robotic telescopes.It was created by UC Berkeley's Hands-On Universe project in 1999.-External links:* http://hou.lbl.gov/rtml/...
is used to control the telescopes remotely.
Radcliffe Telescope
The 1.9 metres (74.8 in) Radcliffe Telescope was commissioned for the Radcliffe ObservatoryRadcliffe Observatory
Radcliffe Observatory was the astronomical observatory of Oxford University from 1773 until 1934, when the Radcliffe Trustees sold it and erected a new observatory in Pretoria, South Africa. It is a grade I listed building.- History :...
in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
and was operated between 1948 and 1972. In 1972 it was moved to Sutherland
Sutherland, Northern Cape
- External links :* * *...
. Between 1951 and 2004 it was the largest telescope in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)
- Observatory Code: B31
- Observations: (Near Earth Objects)
SALT was inaugurated in November 2005. It is the largest single optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, with a hexagonal mirror array 11 meters across. SALT shares similarities with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope
Hobby-Eberly Telescope
The Hobby-Eberly Telescope is a 9.2-meter aperture telescope located at the McDonald Observatory. It combines a number of features that differentiate it from most telescope designs, resulting in greatly lowered construction costs...
(HET) in Texas. The Southern African Large Telescope gathers twenty-five times as much light as any other existing African Telescope. With this larger mirror array, SALT can record distant star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s, galaxies and quasars.
SuperWASP-South
The Wide Angle Search for Planets consists of two robotic telescopeRobotic telescope
A robotic telescope is an astronomical telescope and detector system that makes observations without the intervention of a human. In astronomical disciplines, a telescope qualifies as robotic if it makes those observations without being operated by a human, even if a human has to initiate the...
s, the one located at SAAO Sutherland
Sutherland, Northern Cape
- External links :* * *...
and the other at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in the municipality of Garafía on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands...
on the island of La Palma
La Palma
La Palma is the most north-westerly of the Canary Islands. La Palma has an area of 706 km2 making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands...
in the Canaries
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. WASP-17b
WASP-17b
WASP-17b is an exoplanet in the constellation Scorpius that is orbiting the star WASP-17. Its discovery was announced on 11 August 2009. It is the first planet discovered to have a retrograde orbit, meaning it orbits in a direction counter to the rotation of its host star. This discovery changed...
, the first exoplanet known to have a retrograde orbit was discovered in 2009 using this array.
KELT-South
KELT-South (Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope - South) is a small robotic telescope that is designed to detect transiting extrasolar planets. The telescope is owned and operated by Vanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
and was based on the design of KELT-North, which was conceived and designed at the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, Department of Astronomy. The KELT-South telescope will serve as a counterpart to its northern twin, surveying the southern sky for transiting planets over the next few years.
Yonsei Survey Telescopes for Astronomical Research (YSTAR)
- Observatory Code: A60
- Observations: (Near Earth Objects)
Used for the monitoring of variable stars and other transient events. This telescope is a joint project between SAAO and the Yonsei University
Yonsei University
Yonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
.
South African Geodynamic Observatory Sutherland (SAGOS)
The GeoForschungsZentrum, Potsdam in cooperation with the National Research Foundation of South AfricaNational Research Foundation of South Africa
South Africa’s National Research Foundation is the intermediary agency between the policies and strategies of the Government of South Africa and South Africa's research institutions....
constructed the SAGOS between 1998 and 2000.
SAGOS consist of a 1 Hz permanent GPS station, a superconducting gravimeter, meteorological sensors, and a tri-axial magnetometer. The GPS station is also used in support of the CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload
CHAMP
CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload is a German satellite launched July 15, 2000 from Plesetsk, Russia and was used for atmospheric and ionospheric research, as well as other geoscientific applications, such as GPS radio occultation....
(CHAMP) and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
The Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment , a joint mission of NASA and the German Space Agency, has been making detailed measurements of Earth's gravity field since its launch in March 2002....
(GRACE) space missions.
SUR Station
The SUR station forms part of the International Deployment of Accelerometers Project and the Global Seismographic Network of the Incorporated Research Institutions for SeismologyIRIS Consortium
IRIS is a university research consortium dedicated to exploring the Earth's interior through the collection and distribution of seismographic data. IRIS programs contribute to scholarly research, education, earthquake hazard mitigation, and the verification of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty...
See also
- National Research Foundation of South AfricaNational Research Foundation of South AfricaSouth Africa’s National Research Foundation is the intermediary agency between the policies and strategies of the Government of South Africa and South Africa's research institutions....
- Astronomical Society of Southern AfricaAstronomical Society of Southern AfricaThe Astronomical Society of Southern Africa , formed in 1922, is a body consisting of both amateur and professional astronomers. The Council of ASSA meets in Cape Town. There are eight autonomous centres throughout Southern Africa.-History:...
- Other optical observatories and telescopes in South Africa
- Boyden ObservatoryBoyden ObservatoryBoyden Observatory is a South African astronomical research observatory and science education centre.-History:The observatory was originally founded in 1889 by the Harvard University at Mount Hardvard near Lima, Peru, but relocated to Arequipa, Peru in October 1890.Significant work done at Arequipa...
- Union ObservatoryUnion ObservatoryUnion Observatory was an astronomical observatory located in the suburb Observatory, Johannesburg, South Africa. It bears IAU code 078.Known as the Transvaal Observatory in its early years, it became the Republic Observatory in 1961...
- Natal ObservatoryNatal ObservatoryThe Natal Observatory was an astronomical observatory in the Colony of Natal from 1882 to 1911...
- Boyden Observatory
- Radio observatories and telescopes in South Africa
- Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy ObservatoryHartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy ObservatoryThe Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory is a radio astronomy observatory located in a natural bowl of hills at Hartebeesthoek just south of the Magaliesberg mountain range, Gauteng, South Africa, about 50 km west of Johannesburg...
- MeerKATMeerKATMeerKAT is a radio telescope under construction in the Northern Cape of South Africa. It will be the largest and most sensitive radio telescope in the southern hemisphere until the Square Kilometer Array is completed around 2024.The telescope will be used for research into cosmic magnetism,...
- Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory
- Magnetic observatories in South Africa
- Hermanus Magnetic ObservatoryHermanus Magnetic ObservatorySANSA Space Science, previously the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory is South Africa's national geomagnetic research facility. The observatory is situated in the town of Hermanus in the Western Cape Province and forms part of the South African National Space Agency.The observatory is an active...
- Hermanus Magnetic Observatory