Astronomy at the University of South Africa

Abstract. Unisa is the largest correspondence university in Africa and the only South African university currently offering a BSc in Astronomy. The astronomy modules can be included in any standard BSc Physics programme. Besides using the radio and optical telescopes at HartRAO and SAAO, Unisa also has its own Observatory on the main campus equipped with modern instrumentation for training students and doing niche research projects.

Sommaire.Unisa est la plus importante université d'enseignement par correspondance en Afrique et la seule université d'Afrique du Sud qui forme des licenciés ès sciences (BSc) en Astronomie. Les modules d'astronomie peuvent être inclus dans tout programme standard de Physique pour BSc. En plus d'utiliser les télescopes radio et optiques à HartRAO et SAAO, Unisa a aussi sur le campus principal son propre Observatoire équipé d'une instrumentation moderne pour la formation des étudiants et pour mener à bien des projets de recherche dans des niches scientifiques modernes.

UNISA

Students must submit assignments regularly so their progress can be monitored. Examinations are written at more than 450 conveniently located centres all over the world. The students on-line service enables students who have access to the internet to communicate with their lecturers and fellow students electroniically. It also provides access to the extensive library catalogue.

Research and community participation are part of the mission of Unisa. For many years various departments have participated in community-based projects, often as an integral part of the University's teaching and research endeavours. More information is available on the University's web page at: http://www.unisa.ac.za.

Astronomy Programme

Degrees in astronomy are offered through the Department of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics & Astronomy in the Faculty of Science. However, students do not have to register for a degree to do these courses. Individual courses may be taken purely out of interest for non degree purposes.

Students from other universities in South Africa may obtain credit towards their degree for any astronomy modules they pass at Unisa. The undergraduate astronomy modules are designed in such a way that they can be incorporated into any standard physics BSc degree.

A BSc is made up of 30 modules, of which no more than 14 modules may be taken from 1st-year courses and at least 8 modules from 3rd-year courses. To major in astronomy, the 9 astronomy modules listed below must be included in the curriculum together with some prerequisite maths and physics modules. Suitable electives make up the balance of 30 modules.

The practical modules AST255 and AST355 include a two-week session at the Unisa Observatory in June or July.

All modules use study guides prepared in the Department. Study material, tutorial letters and assignments are mailed to registered students; some material is available electronically.

Facilities

The Unisa Observatory, situated on the main campus, is a modern well-equipped facility housing a computer-controlled 14-inch telescope mounted on a fixed pillar. The Observatory is used primarily to train astronomy students using its state-of-the-art instrumentation.

Viewing evenings at the Observatory give members of the public an opportunity to look at some of the splendours of the night sky, and stimulates an awareness of science and technology in disadvantaged communities.

Instrumentation for the telescope includes a spectrograph, a photometer, a CCD and a 35-mm SLR camera. Research is possible for certain niche projects using this equipment. Some images taken with the CCD can be seen on the Observatory webpage at: http://astro.unisa.ac.za/~uniobs.

The Department has a number of powerful linux workstations on which astronomical software has been installed for analysing data collected at South Africa's two national astronomical facilities:

• the 26-m radio telescope of the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO), and
• the optical telescopes of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO).

Staff in the Astronomy Department regularly get observing time at these observatories, in addition to which they have a 5% share of observing time on the Automatic Photoelectric Telescope at SAAO.