South African Astronomical Observatory

File:Saao buildings in Cape Town.jpg

The history of the SAAO began when the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope was founded in 1820, the first scientific institution in Africa.{{cite web |url=http://www.dst.gov.za/publications-policies/magazine/m00003/volume-3-2 |title=The South African Astronomical Obsrvatory: Africa's Eye in the Sky |last=Laney |first=Dave |publisher=South African Department of Science and Technology |access-date=30 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830014047/http://www.dst.gov.za/publications-policies/magazine/m00003/volume-3-2 |archive-date=30 August 2009 }} Construction of the main buildings was completed in 1829 at a cost of £30,000{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A07EFDC173DE43BBC4E53DFB467838F669FDE |title=The Transit of Venus – The Expedition at the Cape of Good Hope |date=6 December 1874 |work=The New York Times |access-date=16 July 2011}} (equivalent to £{{Formatprice|{{inflation|UK|30000|1829|r=-5}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}{{inflation-fn|UK}}).

The post of His/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{{cite web |url=http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=1753 |title=Royal archive winners before 1900 |publisher=The Royal Society |access-date=6 December 2008}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=1752 |title=Royal Medal Winners:1949 – 1900 |publisher=The Royal Society |access-date=1 December 2008}}

The Republic Observatory, Johannesburg, was merged with the much older Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope in January 1972 to form the South African Astronomical Observatory. In 1974 the Radcliffe Observatory telescope was purchased by the CSIR and moved to Sutherland, where it recommenced work in 1976.

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 at present as a National Facility under management of the National Research Foundation (NRF), formerly the Foundation for Research Development (FRD). In 1974, when the Radcliffe Observatory in Pretoria closed, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) purchased the 1.9-m Radcliffe Telescope and transported it to Sutherland.{{cite book |last=Heck |first=Andre |title=Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy III |date=2002 |isbn=978-1-4020-0812-2 |pages=160}}

File:Sutherland Observatory sign.jpg]]

The observatory operates from the campus of the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope that was established in 1820{{cite book |last=Holden |first=Edward Singleton |title=Hand-book of the Lick Observatory of the University of California |date=1888 |pages=112 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/handbookoflickob00holdrich#page/112/mode/1up/search/hope |access-date=2 October 2010 |chapter=The Principal Observatories of the World}} in the suburb of Observatory, Cape Town.

The major observing facilities are, however, located near the town of Sutherland some {{convert|370|km}} from Cape Town. Sutherland was chosen because of its reliably clear and dark nights, but to ensure long term viability of the Karoo site astronomy instruments, the South African Parliament passed the Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act in 2007. The act gives the Minister of Science and Technology the authority to protect areas, through regulations, that are of strategic national importance for astronomy and related scientific endeavours.

File:Telescope domes in Sutherland.jpg

This {{convert|0.5|m|in}} reflector was originally built for the Republic Observatory in 1967, but was moved to the Sutherland site in 1972. No longer in use.

The 20" telescope was replaced with the Meerlicht telescope. The 20" telescope was relocated to the University of Freestate Boyden observatory and commissioned in ~2019{{cite web | url=https://www.ufs.ac.za/natagri/departments-and-divisions/physics-home/research-and-publications/astrophysics-research-facilities | title=Astrophysics Research Facilities }}

A {{convert|0.75|m|in}} Grubb Parsons reflector.

File:The Elizabeth Telescope.jpg

{{See also|Probing Lensing Anomalies Network}}

This {{convert|40|in|m}} telescope was originally located at SAAO Head office in Observatory, Cape Town, but has since moved to the Sutherland site.{{cite web |url=http://www.saao.ac.za/facilities/telescopes/10m/introduction/ |title=The 40-inch Elizabeth telescope |publisher=South African Astronomical Observatory |access-date=28 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120919073207/http://www.saao.ac.za/facilities/telescopes/10m/introduction/ |archive-date=19 September 2012 }} This telescope participates in the PLANET network.{{cite web |url=http://www.phys.utas.edu.au/physics/optastr/media_OB390_files/esopr-03-06_v2.pdf |title=It's Far, It's Small, It's Cool: It's an Icy Exoplanet! Distant Planet Brings Astronomers Closer To Home |access-date=15 May 2009}}

File:Pretoria 74" Reflector (9293222380).jpg

{{Main|Radcliffe Telescope}}

{{Distinguish|text=the Radcliffe 18/24-inch Double Refractor at the University of London Observatory}}

The 1.9-m (74-inch) Radcliffe Telescope was commissioned for the Radcliffe Observatory in Pretoria where it was in use between 1948 and 1974. Following the closure of the Radcliffe Observatory it was moved to Sutherland where it became operational again in January 1976. Between 1951 and 2004 it was the largest telescope in South Africa.{{cite web |url=http://assa.saao.ac.za/sections/history/telescopes/radcliffe_74/ |title=Radcliffe 74-inch (1.9-m) |publisher=South African Astronomical Observatory |access-date=3 May 2017}} The telescope was manufactured by Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons and Co.{{cite book |title=Astronomical Instruments |date=1956 |publisher=Grubb Parsons |url=https://archive.org/stream/AstronomjcalInstrumentsNo17Oct1956/GrubbParsonsNo17Oct1956#page/n28/}}

This {{convert|29.5|in|cm}} telescope was originally called the Automatic Photometric Telescope, but has been renamed the Alan Cousins Telescope in honour of Alan William James Cousins.{{cite web |url=http://www.saao.ac.za/facilities/telescopes/act/ |title=The Alan Cousins Telescope{{Snd}} Automatic Photometric Telescope |publisher=South African Astronomical Observatory |access-date=29 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909061804/http://www.saao.ac.za/facilities/telescopes/act/ |archive-date=9 September 2012 }}{{cite web |url=http://assa.saao.ac.za/html/his-tel-apt-75c_30i.html |title=Automatic Photometric Telescope (APT) |publisher=Astronomical Society of Southern Africa |access-date=29 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718104442/http://assa.saao.ac.za/html/his-tel-apt-75c_30i.html |archive-date=18 July 2011 }}

{{main|Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network}}

One of six telescopes in the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network.

The IRSF is a {{convert|140|cm|in}} reflector fitted with a 3 colour Infrared Imager.{{cite web |url=http://www.saao.ac.za/assa/html/his-tel-irsf-1_4m_55i.html |title=IRSF telescope |publisher=South African Astronomical Observatory |access-date=30 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909185710/http://www.saao.ac.za/assa/html/his-tel-irsf-1_4m_55i.html |archive-date=9 September 2012 }} Originally built as part of the Magellanic Clouds{{Snd}} A Thorough Study grant from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2000.{{cite journal |last=Nagata |first=Tetsuya |title=IRSF 1.4-m telescope continues providing wonderful images at SAAO |journal=The Astronomical Herald |volume=98 |issue=3 |pages=137–138 |issn=0374-2466 |bibcode=2005AstHe..98..137N |date=2005}}

Other studies the telescope participated in include:

• The Indian Department of Space used this telescope for the Near Infrared Survey of the Nuclear Regions of the Milky Way to improve on data from the DENIS and 2MASS Astronomical surveys.{{cite journal |date=2003 |title=Near Infrared Survey of the Galactic Nuclear Bulge Region |journal=Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India |volume=31 |pages=403 |url=http://prints.iiap.res.in/bitstream/2248/2485/1/paper-68.pdf |bibcode=2003BASI...31..403B |last1=Baliyan |first1=K. S. |last2=Ganesh |first2=S. |last3=Joshi |first3=U. C. |last4=Glass |first4=I. S.}}

{{main|Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network}}

Three {{convert|1|m|in}} telescopes to form part of the LCOGT network were installed in early 2013.{{cite journal |last1=Brown |first1=T. M. |last2=Baliber |first2=N. |last3=Bianco |first3=F. B. |last4=Bowman |first4=M. |last5=Burleson |first5=B. |last6=Conway |first6=P. |last7=Crellin |first7=M. |last8=Depagne |first8=É. |last9=De Vera |first9=J.|last10=Dilday|first10=B. |last11=Dragomir |first11=D. |last12=Dubberley |first12=M. |last13=Eastman |first13=J. D. |last14=Elphick |first14=M. |last15=Falarski |first15=M. |last16=Foale |first16=S. |last17=Ford |first17=M. |last18=Fulton |first18=B. J. |last19=Garza |first19=J.|last20=Gomez|first20=E. L. |last21=Graham |first21=M. |last22=Greene |first22=R. |last23=Haldeman |first23=B. |last24=Hawkins |first24=E. |last25=Haworth |first25=B. |last26=Haynes |first26=R. |last27=Hidas |first27=M. |last28=Hjelstrom |first28=A. E. |last29=Howell |first29=D. A.|last30=Hygelund|first30=J. |last31=Lister |first31=T. A. |last32=Lobdill |first32=R. |last33=Martinez |first33=J. |last34=Mullins |first34=D. S. |last35=Norbury |first35=M. |last36=Parrent |first36=J. |last37=Paulson |first37=R. |last38=Petry |first38=D. L. |last39=Pickles |first39=A.|last40=Posner|first40=V. |last41=Rosing |first41=W. E. |last42=Ross |first42=R. |last43=Sand |first43=D. J. |last44=Saunders |first44=E. S. |last45=Shobbrook |first45=J. |last46=Shporer |first46=A. |last47=Street |first47=R. A. |last48=Thomas |first48=D. |last49=Tsapras |first49=Y.|last50=Tufts|first50=J. R. |last51=Valenti |first51=S. |last52=Vander Horst |first52=K. |last53=Walker |first53=Z. |last54=White |first54=G. |last55=Willis |first55=M. |title=Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network |journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific |volume=125 |issue=931 |year=2013 |pages=1031–1055 |issn=0004-6280 |doi=10.1086/673168 |arxiv=1305.2437 |bibcode=2013PASP..125.1031B|s2cid=118585975 }}

The MASTER-SAAO Telescope (obs. code: K95) is part of the Russian Mobile Astronomical System of Telescope-Robots. It saw first light on 21 December 2014. It consists of two paired 0.4-m telescopes.[http://196.21.94.34/ MASTER-SAAO] In April 2015 it discovered the first comet from South Africa in 35 years, C/2015 G2 (MASTER).{{cite web |title=C/2015 G2 (MASTER) is first South African Comet discovery in 35 years |url=http://africa2moon.developspacesa.org/2015/04/13/c2015-g2-master-is-first-south-african-comet-discovery-in-35-years/ |website=Africa2Moon |access-date=20 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512084723/http://africa2moon.developspacesa.org/2015/04/13/c2015-g2-master-is-first-south-african-comet-discovery-in-35-years/ |archive-date=12 May 2015 |url-status=dead }}

One of the two {{convert|1.20|m|in}} telescopes of the MOnitoring NEtwork of Telescopes Project is located at Sutherland. Its twin can be found at the McDonald Observatory in Texas.{{cite web |url=http://www.as.utexas.edu/mcdonald/facilities/facilities.html |title=Research Facilities |publisher=McDonald Observatory |access-date=15 May 2009}} 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.{{cite journal |title=Running MONET and SALT with Remote Telescope Markup Language 3.0 |date=May 2003 |journal=American Astronomical Society Meeting 202, #38.09; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society |pages=753 |bibcode=2003AAS...202.3809H |last1=Hessman |first1=F. V. |last2=Romero |first2=E. |volume=202}}

File:PRIME-telescope.jpg

PRime-focus Infrared Microlensing Experiments is a {{convert|1.8|m|in}} telescope located in Sutherland.{{cite web |url=https://www.saao.ac.za/astronomers/ |title=SAAO {{!}} Astronomers |access-date=13 June 2023}} PRIME achieved first light on October 8, 2022. Currently PRIME has a near-infrared camera located in its prime focus with a 1.29 square degree field of view. The telescope is a collaboration between Osaka University, University of Maryland,{{cite web |url=https://www.astro.umd.edu/news/news2022.html |title=UMD Astronomy: 2022 News |access-date=13 June 2023}} South African Astronomical Observatory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/nasas-roman-mission-delivers-detectors-to-japans-prime-telescope |title=NASA’s Roman Mission Delivers Detectors to Japan’s PRIME Telescope |access-date=13 June 2023}} and Astro-Biology Center. The project's primary science objective is the study of exoplanets using gravitational microlensing.{{cite web |url=http://www-ir.ess.sci.osaka-u.ac.jp/prime/index.html |title=PRime-focus Infrared Microlensing Experiment |access-date=13 June 2023}}

File:Solaris-1 i Solaris-2 podczas nocnych obserwacji w SAAO..jpg

Two telescopes forming part of Project Solaris is located at the Sutherland site. Solaris-1 and Solaris-2 are both 0.5m f/15 Ritchey–Chrétien telescope. The aims of Project Solaris is to detect circumbinary planets around eclipsing binary stars and to characterise these binaries to improve stellar models.{{cite journal |author=P. Sybilski |author2=S.K. Kozłowsk |name-list-style=amp |title=Project Solaris{{Snd}} a Southern Hemisphere robotic telescope networ |journal=Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa |date=August 2011 |volume=70 |issue=7&8 |url=http://www.mnassa.org.za/html/Aug2011/2011MNASSA..70..Aug_print.pdf |pages=131–135 |issn=0024-8266 |bibcode=2011MNSSA..70..131S}}

File:SA large telescope.jpg

{{main|Southern African Large Telescope}}

:Observatory Code: B31

:Observations: [https://newton.spacedys.com/index.php?pc=2.1.2&o=B31&ab=0 (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 (HET) in Texas. The Southern African Large Telescope gathers twenty-five times as much light as any other existing African Telescope.{{cite web |url=http://www.salt.ac.za/public-info/milestones/first-light/ |title=First Light |publisher=South African Large Telescope |access-date=15 May 2009}} With this larger mirror array, SALT can record distant stars, galaxies and quasars.

File:Sw8cams.jpg

{{main|SuperWASP}}

{{See also|List of extrasolar planets}}

The Wide Angle Search for Planets consists of two robotic telescopes, the one located at SAAO Sutherland and the other at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma in the Canaries.{{cite web |url=http://www.superwasp.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021208111324/http://www.superwasp.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 December 2002 |title=Welcome to the WASP website |publisher=SuperWASP |access-date=30 January 2009 }} WASP-17b, the first exoplanet known to have a retrograde orbit was discovered in 2009 using this array.

KELT-South (Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope{{Snd}} South) is a small robotic telescope that is designed to detect transiting extrasolar planets. The telescope is owned and operated by Vanderbilt University 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.

:Observatory Code: {{section link|List of observatory codes|L66}}

Optical wide-field telescope, installed in 2017. It has a {{cvt|60|cm}} effective aperture, and a 1.65 x 1.65 degree field-of-view, sampled at 0.56"/pix. It was designed and manufactured in the Netherlands (Radboud University & NOVA) and is run by a consortium of Radboud University, University of Cape Town, the NRF/SAAO, the University of Oxford, the University of Manchester and the University of Amsterdam. It is the optical eye of MeerKAT, and has as its main-purpose to twin with the MeerKAT radio array to achieve a simultaneous optical-radio coverage of the Southern Skies. It is the prototype of the [http://www.blackgem.org BlackGEM] array, installed at ESO La Silla in Chile.

File:MeerLICHT Fisheye.jpg

:Observatory Code: {{section link|List of observatory codes|A60}}

The Yonsei Survey Telescopes for Astronomical Research (YSTAR), decommissioned in 2012, was used for the monitoring of variable stars and other transient events. YSTAR was a joint project between SAAO and the Yonsei University, Korea.{{cite web |url=http://www.saao.ac.za/facilities/telescopes/ |title=Telescopes |publisher=South African Astronomical Observatory |access-date=30 January 2009}}

{{main|Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System}}

The ATLAS asteroid impact early warning system, developed by the University of Hawaii and funded by NASA, consists of 4 telescopes; South Africa hosts ATLAS-Sutherland. In February 2023, the telescope observed the comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS).{{Cite web |title=ATLAS STH Dashboard |url=http://dashboard.fallingstar.com/dash/sth.html |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=dashboard.fallingstar.com}}{{Cite web |title=SAAO {{!}} SAAO to contribute to the global effort to detect Near Earth Objects |url=https://www.saao.ac.za/2018/08/29/saao-to-contribute-to-the-global-effort-to-detect-near-earth-objects/ |access-date=2024-09-30 |language=en-ZA}}

The GeoForschungsZentrum, Potsdam in co-operation with the National Research Foundation of South Africa 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.gfz-potsdam.de/portal/-;jsessionid=F0861E9D688B05E6141F79CB7EE42EEF?$part=CmsPart&docId=1644561 |title=South African Geodynamic Observatory Sutherland (SAGOS) |publisher=Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences |access-date=30 January 2009}}

The SUR station forms part of the International Deployment of Accelerometers Project and the Global Seismographic Network of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology{{cite web |url=http://www.saao.ac.za/facilities/geophysical-facilities/ |title=Geophysical Facilities |publisher=South African Astronomical Observatory |access-date=30 January 2009}}{{cite web |url=http://ida.ucsd.edu/Stations/sur/ |title=Station SUR, Sutherland, Republic of South Africa |publisher=Project IDA |access-date=30 January 2009}}

• National Research Foundation of South Africa
• Astronomical Society of Southern Africa
• SEDS SEDS South Africa
• Other optical observatories and telescopes in South Africa
• Boyden Observatory
• Union Observatory
• Natal Observatory
• Radio observatories and telescopes in South Africa
• Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory
• MeerKAT
• Magnetic observatories in South Africa
• Hermanus Magnetic Observatory

{{reflist|refs=

{{cite web |title=Additional information about SAAO Sutherland |url=http://www.saao.ac.za/public-info/visits/sutherland/sutherland-background/ |publisher=South African Astronomical Observatory |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014143010/http://www.saao.ac.za/public-info/visits/sutherland/sutherland-background/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 October 2010 |access-date=3 October 2010}}

{{cite web

|title = First Light with MASTER-SAAO

|work = SAAO{{Snd}} South African Astronomical Observatory

|date = 23 December 2014

|url = http://www.saao.ac.za/spod/first-light-with-master-saao/

|access-date= 3 May 2017}}

}}

• {{cite thesis |type=BSc (Hons) thesis |url=http://mensa.ast.uct.ac.za/~pwoudt/Students/MichelleWiehahnBScHons2002.pdf |title=Using the SAAO Automatic Photometric Telescope to Study the Long-Term Lightcurves of Cataclysmic Variables |last=Wiehahn |first=Michelle |date=February 2002 |publisher=University of Cape Town{{Snd}} Department of Astronomy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821191036/http://mensa.ast.uct.ac.za/~pwoudt/Students/MichelleWiehahnBScHons2002.pdf |archive-date=21 August 2011 }}

{{Commons category|South African Astronomical Observatory}}

{{external media

| width = 240px

| image1 = [http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/217832 Photos of the dome of the Victoria telescope] from the University of Cambridge

}}

• [http://www.saao.ac.za Official Website]
• [http://www.salt.ac.za/ SALT Homepage]
• [http://www.salt.ac.za/public-info/milestones/first-light/ SALT milestones, first-light]
• [http://www.salt.ac.za/public-info/milestones/inauguration/press-release/ SALT milestones, inauguration]
• [http://bison.ph.bham.ac.uk/ BiSON Homepage]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20021208111324/http://www.superwasp.org/ SuperWASP Homepage]
• [http://keltsouth.pbworks.com/ KELT-South Homepage]
• [http://wasp.astro.keele.ac.uk/live/ SuperWASP-South live status]
• [http://www.meerlicht.org/ MeerLICHT homepage]
• [http://ida.ucsd.edu/Stations/sur/ SUR listing at Project IDA]
• [http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/Pretoria-Telescope-Mirror/85dfa71dd4824c3cbe9be97b544ddeb1 South Africa's Giant New Observatory]. Construction of the 1.9m Radcliffe Telescope, AP Archive.
• [https://www.flickr.com/photos/pix_elate/2609507073/ flicker]

{{Authority control}}

Category:Astronomical observatories in South Africa

Category:1972 establishments in South Africa

Category:Research institutes established in 1972