42-644: The South African Astronomical Observatory ( SAAO ) is the national centre 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 (230 mi) from Observatory, Cape Town , where
84-660: 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
126-722: A fortified building called "Fort Coornhoop" be built as one of several small forts to protect against the Khoikhoi . Part of what was developed as Koornhoop became Uitwyk, which is now known as Malta Farm. The name is derived from the location and construction of the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope in the area at 33°56′7.13″S 18°28′38.47″E / 33.9353139°S 18.4773528°E / -33.9353139; 18.4773528 ( SAAO ) in 1820. The Royal Observatory in Observatory, Cape Town, houses
168-688: A simultaneous optical-radio coverage of the Southern Skies. It is the prototype of the BlackGEM array, installed at ESO La Silla in Chile. 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 . The ATLAS asteroid impact early warning system, developed by
210-472: A soccer and hockey stadium below the station, Hartleyvale Stadium which is flanked on one side by Liesbeeck Parkway and on the other by Willow Road. In this section of land, there is also an outdoor swimming pool that is popular on summer afternoons – between the two there's a circus school. A driving range and nine-hole golf course is housed at the River Club. There are several civic organisations in
252-824: 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. The SUR station forms part of the International Deployment of Accelerometers Project and the Global Seismographic Network of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology National Research Foundation of South Africa South Africa ’s National Research Foundation (NRF)
294-745: Is being turned into an expansive complex with residences, shops, a hotel, conference centre and a business park . It is expected to become the African headquarters for Amazon , which hopes to base its expanding operations in Africa. However, in May 2022, a court in Cape Town upheld a judgment in March which stopped work on the sprawling complex until further consultations had taken place with groups representing Indigenous Khoisan communities, who object to building on
336-572: Is chaired by Prof Mosa Moshabela . The NRF has three main functions: One of the NRF’s key objectives is to ensure appropriately qualified people and high-level infrastructure to produce the knowledge that makes South Africa a global competitor . Its "focus areas" are: Unlike other Science Councils whose role is research performance, the NRF primarily fulfils an agency role, with a smaller portion of its activity allocated to actual research. Funding from
378-511: 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. Optical wide-field telescope, installed in 2017. It has a 60 cm (24 in) effective aperture, and
420-586: Is the hospital where Professor Chris Barnard performed the world's first heart transplant , on 3 December 1967. This event is the theme of the Heart of Cape Town Museum , located at the hospital. As with most of South African urban spaces, crime is a problem, with burglary and muggings. In the past decade there were several murders, however security has now improved with active local civic participation. A pioneering community security organisation, Obs Watch, ran bicycle patrols for years, but became defunct. In 2006 this
462-667: Is the intermediary agency between the policies and strategies of the Government of South Africa and South Africa's research institutions . It was established on 1 April 1999 as an autonomous statutory body in accordance with the National Research Foundation Act . Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation of South Africa with effect from 1 April 2021. The NRF Board
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#1732780677268504-671: 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 stars , galaxies and quasars . The Wide Angle Search for Planets consists of two robotic telescopes ,
546-540: Is the study of exoplanets using gravitational microlensing. 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. SALT was inaugurated in November 2005. It
588-545: Is used to control the telescopes remotely. PRime-focus Infrared Microlensing Experiments is a 1.8 metres (71 in) telescope located in Sutherland. 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 , South African Astronomical Observatory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Astro-Biology Center . The project's primary science objective
630-830: 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: Three 1 metre (39 in) telescopes to form part of the LCOGT network were installed in early 2013. 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. In April 2015 it discovered
672-688: The Observatory Improvement District was launched to enhance the suburb with better security and maintenance. The Observatory Improvement District covers almost all of Observatory below Main Road. In 2010, walking and cycle paths were established on the western side of the Liesbeek River. There are two birdwatching hides on the river, one in the grounds of the South African Observatory, and one in
714-487: The University of Cape Town (UCT) and its medical school in particular, has always made it popular with both students and faculty. Observatory has long been a vibrant area, as a result of its high proportion of students. There are numerous restaurants and bars, and many neighbourhood staples. Most restaurants and retail shops are located along Lower Main road with a 95-year-old bottle store, Observatory Liquors, situated in
756-467: The 1.9-m Radcliffe Telescope and transported it to Sutherland. The observatory operates from the campus of the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope that was established in 1820 in the suburb of Observatory, Cape Town . The major observing facilities are, however, located near the town of Sutherland some 370 kilometres (230 mi) from Cape Town . Sutherland was chosen because of its reliably clear and dark nights, but to ensure long term viability of
798-771: 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. This 0.5 metres (20 in) reflector was originally built for the Republic Observatory in 1967, but
840-566: The McClean Telescope. The building was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and was completed in 1897. The original buildings now serve as the headquarters of the South African Astronomical Observatory , with an on-site museum exhibiting various historic instruments and telescopes. During the years of apartheid , Observatory was one of the few de facto 'grey' suburbs where all races lived together. On
882-504: The NRF is largely directed towards academic research , developing high-level human resources, and supporting the National Research Facilities, although beneficiaries include students, and private individuals or companies. KZN Literary Tourism is a project which has received funding through the NRF. In 2004 the NRF founded seven Centres of Excellence (COE), which aim to facilitate inter-disciplinary research with
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#1732780677268924-601: The SAAO began when the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope was founded in 1820, the first scientific institution in Africa. Construction of the main buildings was completed in 1829 at a cost of £ 30,000 (equivalent to £3.3 million in 2024). 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
966-741: The Sutherland site. This telescope participates in the PLANET network. 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. The telescope
1008-508: 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) . 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
1050-525: The aim of enhancing research and capacity building. Additional COEs have been added since: Official website This article about an organisation in South Africa is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Observatory, Cape Town Observatory is a suburb in Cape Town , South Africa , colloquially known as Obs . Bordered by Mowbray to the south and Salt River to
1092-672: The death of de Almeida and approximately sixty of his compatriots during the Battle of Salt River . Modern-day Observatory traces its origins to the Koornhoop Colony land grant issued in 1657. Between February 1657 and February 1658, fourteen free burghers were granted land by the Dutch East India Company along the Liesbeeck River valley. The then governor of the Cape, Jan van Riebeek , decreed that
1134-618: The evening of 30 December 1993, three men entered a popular student venue on Station Road, called the Heidelberg Tavern and opened fire, killing four people and injuring five. The three APLA operatives – Humphrey Luyanda Gqomfa, Vuyisile Brian Madasi and Zola Prince Mabala – were convicted in November 1994 for what became known as the Heidelberg Massacre. On 16 July 1998, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission granted
1176-619: The first comet from South Africa in 35 years, C/2015 G2 (MASTER) . One of the two 1.20 metres (47 in) telescopes of the MOnitoring NEtwork of Telescopes Project is located at Sutherland. Its twin can be found at the McDonald Observatory in Texas. The MONET telescopes are Robotic telescope controllable via the Internet and was constructed by the University of Göttingen . Remote Telescope Markup Language
1218-468: The grounds of the River Club. Beyond the astronomical observatory is Valkenberg psychiatric hospital , a Victorian heritage building that has recently undergone extensive renovations. Valkenberg houses the mentally ill in secure accommodation, as well as providing out patient care. Beyond Valkenberg is a small hotel, and the Wild Fig restaurant. The Groote Schuur Hospital looms over the suburb, and
1260-601: 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
1302-596: The headquarters is located. The SAAO has links worldwide for scientific and technological collaboration. Instrumental contributions from the South African Astronomical Observatory include the development of a spherical aberration corrector and the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). The Noon Gun on Cape Town's Signal Hill is fired remotely by a time signal from the Observatory. The history of
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1344-496: 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. 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
1386-544: The middle. There is also a shopping complex in St. Peter's square, which is located opposite Groote Schuur graveyard. Observatory is home to many churches. The Anglican parish church of St Michael and All Angels, designed by Sir Herbert Baker and the only one of his churches completed to his design, is a bastion of Anglo-Catholicism within the Anglican community of South Africa and has a strong choral tradition. Observatory has
1428-443: The northwest, the area is best known as a student neighbourhood associated with the nearby University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital . It takes its name from the South African Astronomical Observatory headquarters, built in 1829 by the Royal Observatory. Observatory is situated on the north-facing lower slopes of Devil's Peak. The slope runs into the Liesbeeck River and, as such, much of present-day lower Observatory
1470-484: 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. KELT-South ( Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope – South ) is a small robotic telescope that is designed to detect transiting extrasolar planets. The telescope
1512-843: The suburb. The longest serving is the Observatory Civics Association (OCA) that liaises between the local residents, NGOs, businesses and the City of Cape Town . The Observatory Civics Association is a member of the Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance . The OCA worked with the City of Cape Town to upgrade the Village Green and relocate the World War II memorial from the N2 . In November 2009,
1554-650: The three amnesty. It continues to be a somewhat alternative part of town, with 'New Age' stores including an anarchist store, and several programmes at the Observatory Community Centre. It is served by Observatory railway station on the Southern Line , with regular trains every 40 minutes or so, and every hour on Sunday. Observatory is the location for much of the short-term accommodation used by increasing numbers of international students attending UCT . The suburb's proximity to
1596-458: Was a marshy estuary formed by the rivers, where buffalo, hippo, elephant, zebra, jackals, antelope, lions and leopards were once prevalent. The Raapenberg Bird Sanctuary protects 10 hectares (25 acres) of land along the Liesbeek River. In 1510, the area was the scene of a raid by the Portuguese, led by Francisco de Almeida , on a Goringhaiqua Khoikhoi village, which ultimately led to
1638-547: Was formally replaced by the Observatory Neighbourhood Watch , and this intervention has made a significant impact on cleansing and safety in the suburb. Large CCTV cameras have been erected at most of the exits and entrances to Obs. In 2021, Amazon announced that it would be the main tenant and investor in a 15 hectares (37 acres) site in Cape Town along the Salt , Black and Liesbeek Rivers that
1680-698: Was manufactured by Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons and Co . This 29.5 inches (75 cm) telescope was originally called the Automatic Photometric Telescope, but has been renamed the Alan Cousins Telescope in honour of Alan William James Cousins . One of six telescopes in the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network . The IRSF is a 140 centimetres (55 in) reflector fitted with a 3 colour Infrared Imager. Originally built as part of
1722-537: 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 A 0.75 metres (30 in) Grubb Parsons reflector. This 40 inches (1.0 m) telescope was originally located at SAAO Head office in Observatory, Cape Town , but has since moved to
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1764-524: 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
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