www.saao.ac.za: Latest News

Announcement of Service Observing

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:01:00 +0200

The SAAO announces that a new program of service observing is now available. This program gives observers the opportunity to propose observations that do not fit into the one-week blocks of normal scheduled observing. Service observations will be carried out by scheduled observers when they have gaps in their own programs. The objective of the program is to increase the scientific output from the Sutherland telescopes for the mutual benefit of observers and PIs. Note that this service does not replace the normal SAAO application and observing procedure. Programs that are suitable for the traditional schedule blocks must continue to be submitted through the standard quarterly proposal system. Service observing is designed for short or recurring observations. Service observing is carried out on a shared-risk, best-effort basis. Applications for service observing can be made at any time via the online application interface at http://tops.saao.ac.za/ Further information and instructions Service observing is open on any of the 1.9, 1.0, 0.75, 0.5m and IRSF telescopes. Proposals will be assessed on their scientific and technical merits and will be either accepted or rejected depending on the guidelines outlined below. All accepted proposals will be entered into the observing queue with equal priority. This new service is experimental and will be reviewed at the end of the year. Your suggestions and feedback will be essential in optimising the type of observing service the SAAO can give you. Types of proposals that will be accepted For example and not restricted to: Small programs that do not require a full week via the "normal" application process.
Targets of opportunity.
Monitoring campaigns. Types of proposals that will not be accepted For example and not restricted to: Programs that are more appropriate via the "normal" 1 week application process.
Proposals that do not meet a minimal scientific objective. The online application process The application form contains the usual sections for scientific and technical justification etc. and is pretty much self-explanatory. Each target has its own telescope and instrumentation configurations and observing instructions. Multiple targets can be added per proposal. There are two sections of particular importance to potential PIs and observers: Observer instructions
You will only get what you ask for. In this section you must explain in detail what you want the observer to do. It is in your (the PI) interest that this section be as simple and clear as possible.
The success of your proposal ultimately depends on how well you can communicate your requirements to the observer. Do not assume that the observer is familiar with your science requirements, the type of object being observed, or your “normal” observing and calibration procedures. A clear finding chart is a must. You must also list any auxiliary calibrations that you need, such as biases, twilight flats, photometric or spectroscopic standards, etc. What's in it for the observer
At the end of the day your program is at the mercy of the observer. They are under no obligation to observe your targets. This section is your opportunity, as PI, to "offer" the observer something for their efforts. For example a co-authorship on papers that use any data taken or any other type of compensation, favours or whatever ... Use your imagination. The queue scheduler Each of the telescope control rooms will have a live graphical interface to the service observing database. All targets of all proposals will be listed in order of RA so that the observer can see
what is visible at any one time. The observer will be able to click on target rows in order to read abstracts, observer instructions and " what's in it for the observer". The observer will only be able to attempt proposals which require instrumentation and telescope configurations that match the current configuration. Instrumentation changes will not occur unless by prior arrangement or under exceptional circumstances. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor. Download PDF

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope: first light at the SAAO

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0200

The Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) network has come a significant step closer to completion with the installation and first light of three new 1-metre sized telescopes at the South African Astronomical Observatory's (SAAO) observing site at Sutherland, South Africa. The telescopes are part of a network of telescopes spread around the world used to study time domain astrophysics. This branch of astronomy is concerned the the study of objects which vary intrinsically with time or which change their appearance with time due to interactions with other objects. Examples of the types of objects which will be studied with the new telescopes at Sutherland include exoplanets, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and minor planets in our solar system. In order to study these types of objects in detail astronomers need to be able to observe them over long time periods. With a single telescope this is not possible as daylight interrupts observations. However, placing several telescopes around the world in different time zones means that once daylight approaches at one observing site astronomers can switch seamlessly to using a telescope located at another site where it is dark. The addition of the telescope node at Sutherland is crucial as it will allow astronomers to conduct observations over long time periods in the South without interruptions.

"The South African Astronomical Observatory is pleased to collaborate with the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope project, and we are excited by the prospects for both scientific observations and public outreach activities." Ted Williams, Director of SAAO said.

A team of LCOGT engineers and technicians, and LCOGT/SAAO astronomy postdoctoral scholar Abiy Tekola, convened at Sutherland for three weeks during February and early March 2013 to install and test the new telescopes. The telescopes arrived on site on the 18th February and were lifted by cranes into the domes the next day. The first of the three telescopes was fully assembled by the end of the 20th February and the telescope went on-sky for the first time that night. The second and third telescopes followed over the next two days.

Annie Hjelstrom of LCOGT, the project engineer responsible for the successful installation, commented:
"We had a great installation team, and SAAO and SALT staff were very helpful, but this is also the culmination of eight years of design and development. Each telescope is built, configured, tested, and then dismantled at the Goleta, California headquarters before we put them back together on site."

To date LCOGT has installed four other identical 1-metre telescopes around the globe: an operational prototype at the McDonald Observatory, Texas, US (April 2012) and three science-grade telescopes at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Chile (October 2012). The trio of telescopes at Sutherland brings the observatory's total of operational 1-metre telescopes to seven. Two more will be installed mid-year at the Siding Spring Observatory, Australia to complete the southern ring, and a second telescope will be installed at the McDonald Observatory before the end of the year.

According to Tim Brown, Science Director of LCOGT, the 1-metre telescope network at Sutherland adds a critical astronomical resource for the research community.
"Because the network will span both hemispheres, and because one or more LCOGT nodes will always be in the dark, astronomers can observe from anywhere on earth at nearly any time. Also, these telescopes - robotic, responsive, and numerous - will allow massive but carefully-directed observing campaigns that could never be done before."

LCOGT staff astronomer Rachel Street added:
"We're very much looking forward to getting the 1-metre network commissioned for science. These telescopes are ideal for the exoplanet characterization, supernovae follow-up and solar system studies our teams specialize in."

LCOGT is a private, nonprofit science institute engaged in time domain astrophysics. The organisation owns and operates the two 2-metre Faulkes Telescopes, and is in the midst of deploying a global network of 1-metre telescopes. About a third of the network science time in the southern hemisphere will be dedicated to the astronomy program of the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance. LCOGT also has a science partnership with the SAAO and SAAO astronomers will be using the telescopes for their science programs within the next couple of months. Additionally, the telescopes will be used for science education and outreach activities within South Africa and across the continent. The SAAO based educational program will introduce learners, educators and amateur astronomers to research-based astronomy. Contact:
Dr Abiy Tekola
SAAO
tel: 021 447-0025
email: abiy@saao.ac.za

Asteroid to make a close fly-by on the 15th February 2013

nsl@saao.ac.za — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0200

This Friday, February 15 at 09:24 PM South African Standard Time, a near-Earth asteroid named 2012 DA14 will pass the Earth at a distance of about 27 700 km from the Earth's surface (which corresponds to a distance about twice the Earth's diameter). This may sound like a large distance to us, but in space terms its a very close shave! The asteroid will pass within the Moon's orbit and it will be closer to Earth than weather and communications satellites in geosynchronous orbit. Fortunately, calculations show that the asteroid will not hit the Earth during this pass and it is extremely unlikely to hit any man made satellites. The asteroid will next return to our neighbourhood in 2020. It was originally thought that there might be a small chance of a collision with Earth on its next approach in 2020, but this has now been ruled out and astronomers have determined that there is no risk of impact for the next hundred years. Unfortunately, the asteroid fly-by won’t be visible to the naked eye because it is too small, however it should be visible using binoculars or small telescopes. Details of the asteroid's position can be found at www.heavens-above.com. 2012 DA14 was discovered on February 23, 2012, by astronomers at La Sangra Astronomical Observatory, Spain. It is a near-Earth asteroid, essentially a lump of rock, with an estimated diameter of about 45 metres and an estimated mass of about 130 000 tons. The 2013 passage of 2012 DA14 by Earth is a record close approach for a known object of this size and the eighth-closest approach by a known asteroid on record. 2012 DA 14 belongs to the class of asteroids known as Apollo asteroids. Apollo asteroids are defined as having a minimum distance from the Sun less than 1.017 times that of the Earth, and a semi-major axis (the radius of their orbit measured across the long part of the ellipse) greater than the Earth's. These are asteroids with orbits that cross the orbit of the Earth and thus are potential threats to our planet. As of February 07 this year, 9683 Near-Earth objects (asteroids and comets) have been discovered. Astronomers believe that there are approximately 500 000 near-Earth asteroids the size of 2012 DA14 and more than a million near-Earth asteroids greater than 40 metres in diameter! On average, an object similar in size to 2012 DA14 is expected to get this close to Earth about once every 40 years. However, a collision with Earth by an object of this size is expected on average only once every 1200 years. The Earth's atmosphere protects us from most asteroids smaller than around 40 metres in diameter, (corresponding to an impact energy of about 3 megatons). From 40 metres up to about 1 kilometre diameter, an impacting near-Earth asteroid can cause regional devastation. The impact of an asteroid just slightly smaller than 2012 DA14 (30-40 metres across) in 1908 is believed to have flattened about 1200 square kilometers of forest in and around the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Russia. Above an energy of a million megatons (corresponding to an asteroid diameter of about 2 kilometres), an impact will produce serious environmental damage on a global scale. The most likely outcome from a collision with an asteroid of this size would be an "impact winter" with the loss of crops worldwide leading to starvation and disease. On average, asteroids of this size are expected to collide with the Earth once or twice every million years. Even larger impacts can cause mass extinctions, like the one that is thought to have killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago (15 kilometres diameter and about 100 million megatons) but these are incredibly rare. EXTRA INFORMATION ONLINE:
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news174.html
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/asteroidflyby.html CONTACT:
Dr Nicola Loaring
nsl@saao.ac.za
021 447 0025

Citizen science : Creating a scientifically literate public

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0200

A totally new era in astronomy research is about to hit South Africa hard and fast. Access to the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) data will afford ordinary citizens an opportunity to unfold the mysteries of the cosmos in the comfort of their own homes. The data obtained from observations conducted using the telescope network is stored and accessible online to all those interested. This data contains a great deal of information about extrasolar planets, supernovae and many more objects that are exciting. Currently, the LCOGT data is exclusively dedicated to outreach. Furthermore, South African Astronomical Observatory in Sutherland has covered immense ground in playing host to these telescopes, so far three 1-metre telescope buildings have been erected. Science will commence once the telescopes and instruments are installed during the first half of this year. Upon completion, the Sutherland Observatory will host six telescopes, of which three will be dedicated to science observations, while the other three will serve mainly outreach and education. In exchange to hosting the Las Cumbres Telescopes, South Africa has an exclusive ten percent of the total observing time in order to carry out new astronomical research, in addition to access to the online data. The curiosity about extrasolar planets or exoplanets keeps gaining momentum; the mining of the Las Cumbres data may afford non-astronomers a great opportunity to contribute in unravelling the alluring enigma about other worlds or civilisations. According to the Ethiopian Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Abiy Tekola who holds a joint position at the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network and South African Astronomical Observatory, "These telescopes will contribute magnanimously towards creating a scientifically literate younger generation countrywide, also in the development of astronomy in the continent". The Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) is a privately owned observatory committed to time domain astronomy (studies of astronomical phenomena changing with time) and public awareness of science. The observatory is committed to building telescopes all over the world to enable uninterrupted observations of stars, planets, and variable objects. Across the globe, the Las Cumbres Observatory has seven sites with almost 40 telescopes whose aperture size ranges from 0.4 metres to 2 metres. Their facilities are equipped with imaging and spectroscopic instruments that are ideal for studying extrasolar planets, supernovae and other objects that vary with time. All their telescopes work remotely and robotically, while their headquarters are located in Santa Barbara in the United States of America. The LCOGT offers a huge outreach component, of the six telescopes earmarked for Sutherland, at least three 0.4-metre telescopes will be dedicated to citizen science and public understanding of astronomy. Already, Dr. Abiy Tekola has piloted the outreach project with learners from two Sutherland primary schools at the recently inaugurated Sutherland Community Development Centre. The learners thoroughly enjoyed the exposure. The Las Cumbres Observatory website offers a great deal of astronomy resources for learners and teachers alike. Dr.Tekola emphasised, "Anyone interested in participating in the project needs to have a computer with internet access, and then the astronomical data is freely accessible on the LCOGT website http://lcogt.net/ ". Detailed instructions for participation are available from this website: http://lcogt.net/education . For more details, contact Dr. Abiy Tekola: 084 644 7585

Dying stellar pair responsible for the majestic shape of the planetary nebula Fleming 1

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0200

Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have discovered a pair of dying stars orbiting each other at the centre of one of the most stunning examples of a planetary nebula, Fleming 1. The new result confirms a longdebated theory about what controls the spectacular and symmetric appearance of the gas flung out from the nebula into space. The results are published in the 9th November 2012 issue of the journal Science. A planetary nebula is a cloud of very hot gas that is seen to glow around Sun-like stars in the final stages of their lives. For the majority of their lifetimes, stars like the Sun are busily burning hydrogen gas to helium gas in their centres or "cores". When the star runs out of fuel to burn, the central core of the star contracts and the outer layers of the star expand and are blown off into space forming a gas cloud around the central star. The central star is now somewhat hotter and smaller than it was previously and is therefore referred to as a White Dwarf. Over time, the outer layers expand further and further away from the star and may form intricate shapes, like rings or bubbles, which we see beautifully lit up by the central star. Many of these planetary nebulae are strikingly complex, with bright knots and intense jets — outflows of very fast-moving gas that are ejected from the central regions of planetary nebulae. Fleming 1 is a planetary nebula located in the southern constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur). It was discovered just over a century ago by Williamina Fleming, a former maid who was hired by Harvard College Observatory in the US after showing an aptitude for astronomy. It is an example of a planetary nebula that has two strikingly symmetric jets emanating from its centre flowing in opposite directions into space. Astronomers have long debated how these symmetric jets could be created, but no consensus has been reached. Now, a research team led by Henri Boffin (ESO, Chile) has combined new observations of Fleming 1 with existing computer modelling to explain in detail for the first time how these bizarre shapes are formed. The team used ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) located in Chile to study the light coming from the central star. They found that Fleming 1 is likely to have not one but two white dwarfs at its centre. Such a stellar system is referred to a binary star system and in the case of Fleming 1 the two stars orbit around each other every 1.2 days.
Simulations have long predicted that the beautiful shape of Fleming 1 was produced by a pair of stars. Similar to a garden sprinkler, one star ejects gas in two opposite streams that slightly change direction each time it goes around its companion star. This study now confirms this scenario is the cause of such shapes. “This is the most comprehensive case yet of a binary central star for which simulations have correctly predicted how it shaped the surrounding nebula — and in a truly spectacular fashion,” explains co-author Brent Miszalski, from SAAO and SALT (South Africa). The two stars at the centre of Fleming 1 were found to have masses of approximately 0.68 and 0.85 times the mass of the Sun, respectively. With some help from the SAAO 1.9m telescope in Sutherland, the team found there to be very little change in the brightness of the two stars, ruling out the possibility of there being a “normal” star like our Sun in the binary star system. A normal star would produce a larger variation in brightness. The centre of the planetary nebula therefore very likely contains a pair of white dwarfs — a rare and exotic find. More information
This research was presented in a paper “An Interacting Binary System Powers Precessing Outflows of an Evolved Star”, H. M. J. Boffin et al., to appear in the journal Science on 9 November 2012. Further images (including the one at the top of the page) and animations can be found at http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1244/ The team is composed of H. M. J. Boffin (European Southern Observatory, Chile), B. Miszalski (South African Astronomical Observatory; Southern African Large Telescope Foundation, South Africa), T. Rauch (Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Tübingen, Germany), D. Jones (European Southern Observatory, Chile), R. L. M. Corradi (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias; Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna, Spain), R. Napiwotzki (University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom), A. C. Day-Jones (Universidad de Chile, Chile), and J. Köppen (Observatoire de Strasbourg, France). ESO, the European Southern Observatory, builds and operates a suite of the world's most advanced ground-based astronomical telescopes. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in the Atacama Desert region of Chile. It is supported by 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. http://www.eso.org/public/ Press release PDF Contact Information
Dr Brent Miszalski
South African Astronomical Observatory
021 447 0025
brent@saao.ac.za

Unwinding the secrets of a dying star

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:24:00 +0200

Astronomers looking at the star R Sculptoris have recently discovered that the cloud of dust and gas immediately surrounding the star forms a spiral shape. These observations suggest that the star is not alone, but rather has an unseen orbiting companion star and thus forms a binary star system. Previous observations of R Sculptoris initially found a bright, thick cloud (shell) of gas and dust around the star consisting of material from the star’s outer atmosphere that was lost into space. More detailed observations using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the most powerful millimetre/submillimetre telescope in the world, have been able to look at the cloud in greater detail and have revealed a spiral shape inside the bright layer. The spiral is thought to have been created as the faint undetected companion star drags the gas along with it[1] as it orbits around R Sculptoris. Astronomer Dr. Shazrene Mohamed of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) has deduced the properties of the binary star system by conducting computer simulations which accurately reproduce the observations. This work is one of the first ALMA early science results to be published and it appears in the journal Nature. A team of astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the most powerful millimetre/submillimetre telescope in the world, have discovered a spiral shape in the gas cloud (shell) around the old red giant star R Sculptoris. The spiral is thought to have been caused by an unseen companion star which has dragged the gas into a spiral as it travels around R Sculptoris.Stars with initial masses up to eight times that of our Sun will evolve to become a red giant star towards the end of their lives. During the red giant stage, the star swells up in size to tens or hundreds of times bigger than the Sun at the same time cooling and becoming redder in colour. Red giants are so big that they have trouble retaining their outer layers and a huge amount of their atmosphere is lost into space in an outward flowing wind. The material expelled from the star forms a cloud of gas and dust around the star. This gas and dust, lost into space by red giants like R Sculptoris, provide the raw materials for the formation of future generations of stars, planetary systems and subsequently for life. “We always expected ALMA to provide us with a new view of the Universe, but to be discovering unexpected new things already, with one of the first sets of observations is truly exciting.” says Maercker, lead author of the Nature paper. In order to explain the observations of R Sculptoris, Dr. Shazrene Mohamed from the SAAO has conducted computer simulations of different types of binary star systems for comparison with the ALMA observations. In her models she varied the mass of the unseen companion star, the separation between the companion star and the red giant, as well as how much red giant material is lost into space. A model in which the stars have a combined mass twice that of our Sun and complete one orbit around each other every 350 years fit the observed properties of R Sculptoris very well. "It’s a real challenge to describe theoretically all the observed details coming from ALMA, but our computer models show that we really are on the right track. ALMA is giving us new insight into what's happening in old stars and what might happen to the Sun in a few billion years from now," says Dr. Shazrene Mohamed (South African Astronomical Observatory), a co-author of the study. Image 1: http://www.saao.ac.za/~shazrene/PressImage.jpg [Included in this press release above] Observations using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have revealed an unexpected spiral structure attached to a bright shell in the material around the old star R Sculptoris. This feature has never been seen before and is probably caused by a combination of dramatic changes in the old star’s wind and a hidden companion star orbiting the star. On the left is a slice through the new ALMA data which reveals the shell around the star, the outer circular ring, as well as a very clear spiral structure in the inner material. The 3D computer model of the system is shown on the right. Credit: ALMA/ESO/NAOJ/NRAO and Dr. Shazrene Mohamed Video 1: http://www.saao.ac.za/~shazrene/RScl_slice.mov This new video shows a computer simulation of how the material is distributed around the star. It presents a series of slices through a 3D model of the surroundings of R Sculptoris. The shell around the star shows up as a circular ring that appears to get bigger and then smaller in different slices. The newly discovered clear spiral structure in the inner material is best seen about half-way through the video sequence. Credit: Dr. Shazrene Mohamed, SAAO, L. Calçada, ESO. Video 2: http://www.saao.ac.za/~shazrene/Rscl_evolve.mov This video is a computer model of the evolution of the material around the old red giant star R Sculptoris over a period of 2000 years. This star experiences thermal pulses that lead to the ejection of material from its surface. Astronomers think that the strange spiral structure is the result of the presence of a companion star in orbit around the red giant. Credit: Dr. Shazrene Mohamed, SAAO. Press release (pdf) Contact:
Dr Shazrene Mohammed
shazrene@saao.ac.za / 021 447 0025 More information
This research was presented in a paper, “Unexpectedly large mass loss during the thermal pulse cycle of the red giant star R Sculptoris”, by Maercker et al. to appear in the journal Nature. The research team is composed of M. Maercker (ESO; Argelander Institute for Astronomy, University of Bonn, Germany), S. Mohamed (Argelander Institute for Astronomy; South African Astronomical Observatory, South Africa), W. H. T. Vlemmings (Onsala Space Observatory, Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala, Sweden), S. Ramstedt (Argelander Institute for Astronomy, University of Bonn; Uppsala University), M. A. T. Groenewegen (Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium), E. Humphreys (ESO), F. Kerschbaum (Department of Astronomy, University of Vienna, Austria), M. Lindqvist (Onsala Space Observatory), H. Olofsson (Onsala Space Observatory), C. Paladini (Department of Astronomy, University of Vienna, Austria), M. Wittkowski (ESO), I. de Gregorio-Monsalvo (Joint ALMA Observatory, Chile) and L. A. Nyman (Joint ALMA Observatory). The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of Europe, North America and East Asia in cooperation with the Republic of Chile.
ALMA is funded in Europe by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), in North America by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC) and in East Asia by the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan. ALMA construction and operations are led on behalf of Europe by ESO, on behalf of North America by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), which is managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) and on behalf of East Asia by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and
management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA. The ALMA Observatory will be inaugurated on 13 March 2013.

SAAO Looking forward to welcoming a new director in 2013.

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:36:00 +0200

Professor Ted Williams will be taking over the reins at the SAAO in January 2013. Ted will be joining us from Rutgers University, New Jersey, US, where he is currently a Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department. Ted is a distinguished researcher within the department and has served as director of the department's Graduate Programme and as associate chair of the department from 2002 to 2005, and again since 2010.

Ted’s particular scientific interests lie in the areas of optical observations of extragalactic objects and instrument development. In particular, he is a world expert in the use of Fabry-Perot observing techniques, which he has used to probe (amongst other things) the structure and kinematics of spiral galaxies, globular clusters and planetary nebulae.

Ted is no stranger to South Africa, the SAAO or SALT. He has been actively involved in the development of SALT right from the get-go. Not only has he served on the board of directors of the SALT foundation since 1998, (as chairman since 2005), but he is a rarity in that he gets his hands dirty too! He was the scientist responsible for the design, manufacture and testing of the Fabry-Perot mode of the Robert Stobie Spectrograph. As such Ted is just as comfortable at formal board meetings as he is up at SALT, climbing up on the telescope, Allen key in hand!

We asked Ted to give us a little more information about himself...

“Some random facts: As a lad, I was an Eagle scout; I marched in the Purdue Band for two years and played trumpet; I was a nation-level swimming official (but never a competitive swimmer); I enjoy sailing small boats, and have some ideas in case the Sutherland Regatta is ever repeated.”

Ted is also an animal lover. He is currently active in the sport of dog agility, and is looking forward to doing agility in South Africa. You can see he means business!

“I am a proud grandfather of a 2.5 year old who is (of course) the World's brightest child; the upper half of my body has been in the crew compartment of the Space Shuttle while it was on the launch pad. I volunteer at local elementary [primary] schools to tell 3rd graders about astronomy and lead them in hands-on astronomy activities - in this connection, I am known as `Astronomer Ted’.”

He is clearly a man with many talents! “Astronomer Ted”, you will be treated to a warm South African welcome in January.

Dual site agreed for Square Kilometre Array telescope

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:47:00 +0200

The SKA Organisation has today announced the final decision for the site of the proposed SKA radio telescope, due to be completed in 2024. The SAAO is delighted to hear that both South Africa and Australia have been selected to host the SKA, and would like to congratulate both teams.The full announcement can be seen at http://www.skatelescope.org/news/dual-site-agreed-square-kilometre-array-telescope/. Further details about the SKA radio telescope can be found at http://www.skatelescope.org/.

"Super Moon" this month!

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200

The Moon will make its closest approach to the Earth (at perigee) for the year in May. It will happen early morning on Sunday 6th May at about 5:33 AM and at this time the Moon will be 357,000 km from the Earth. This will result in the largest apparent full Moon for the year, which also occurs on Sunday 6th May at 5:35 AM purely by coincidence! The full Moon will have an angular size of 33.7 arc min at this time and is referred to as a perigee full Moon. This coincidence, whereby the full Moon occurs at the same time as the Moon's closest approach in its orbit happens roughly every 18 years.

The Moon will be at its furthest distance from Earth (at apogee) for the year on December 25th when the Moon will be 406,100 km away from the Earth. The full Moon in December, occurring on the 28th, will therefore be the smallest apparent full Moon with an angular size of 29.1 arc min. Nearby perigee Moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser Moons that occur on the apogee side of the Moon's orbit.

(60 arc min = 1 degree)

Note that the size of the Moon is not really changing, it just appears larger or smaller from our perspective according to its distance from us. The Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical orbit (oval) rather than a circle and so the distance between the Earth and the Moon varies along its orbit. Viewing the Moon just as it rises or before it sets when it is close to the horizon, close to distant buildings or trees will exaggerate the effect because of an optical illusions making the Moon seem even larger.

The closeness of the Moon on the 6th May will have a slight effect on tides around the world. It will result in extra-high "perigean tides". However, in most places the tides will only be a few centimetres higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters, so no great floods or natural disasters! For example in Cape Town the average height of spring high tides over the last 19 years is 1.74m. The two high tides on the 6th May are predicted to be about 1.88m and 1.80m respectively, a difference of only 14cm and 6cm respectively over average values.

Celebration of the McClean restoration

nsl@saao.ac.za — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:13:00 +0200

On Saturday the 24th March there was a special open night held at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) celebrating the recent renovation of the historic McClean telescope located in the observatory grounds. Dr Ian Glass was the guest speaker and talked about the history of the McClean telescope. In addition to the talk, the public were give an tour of the museum on site and also had the opportunity to look at various astronomical objects including Orion’s nebula and Saturn through both amateur telescopes and the grand restored McClean. The story of the renovation has been a long one. In 2009 the McClean building was falling into a state of disrepair. The “Friends of the Observatory” charity was set up at this time to help raise funds to restore the old telescopes on site. However, two years later the unique hydraulic mechanism that raises the floor of the observatory finally wore out, and the shutters on the dome no longer worked. The roof leaked, and it looked like the telescope would not be used again. This meant that people would no longer be able to see the telescope that led to many important discoveries, and experience for themselves the remarkable astronomical heritage in Cape Town. SAAO open nights would never be the same again. Then the South African government stepped in, and last year funded the restoration of the dome, shutters, the hydraulic floor and the Sir Herbert Baker designed building which houses the telescope. This is an impressive recognition of the work that has been carried out at the South African Astronomical Observatory, and is a symbol of the commitment of the government to Astronomy in South Africa. Open nights serve to increase public interest in Astronomy, which is vital when South Africa is on the brink of participating in the largest astronomical project ever undertaken in the history of the planet, the Square Kilometre Array. South Africa has a long and illustrious success in Astronomy, and continues through SALT and the other telescopes at Sutherland to be at the forefront of scientific discovery. Although the old telescopes are no longer performing scientific work, they have an important job to do in recounting the tremendous history of Astronomy and pointing towards an exciting future. Contact: Dr Nicola Loaring. Outreach Astronomer, SAAO. nsl@saao.ac.za / 021 447 0025.