On the 1st of June 1998, the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Mr Lionel Mtshali, announced that the S.A. Cabinet had approved the building of the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), to be sited at Sutherland in the Northern Cape, South Africa (see front cover). SALT is a 9-m class telescope for optical / infrared astronomy. It will be a southern hemisphere equivalent of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) at McDonald Observatory, Texas. The radical new HET design means that the instrument at Sutherland will cost a mere 20% of the price of a conventional telescope of the same power.
Owing to substantial developments in the field of astronomy, South Africa's capacity, previously at the forefront, is now lagging behind that of many other countries. SALT is expected to have a productive lifetime of at least 30 years. The South African Government will fund 50% of the R100 million construction costs over 5 years. The remaining funds will be raised from international partners in exchange for observing time. The South African component will be budgeted for from the normal Government allocation to science and technology and will not place any additional burden on the taxpayer.
Some of the advantages to be gained from the establishment of SALT at Sutherland in the Northern Cape are:
It is generally accepted that astronomy has played an important role in the lives of humans since the dawn of civilisation. It can, with some justification, be called the first of the sciences. For this reason astronomy also plays a powerful role in the public appreciation of science and technology. Indeed the HET instrument in Texas drew over 100,000 visitors last year, despite its remote location.
In a developing country like South Africa, basic needs are still in the process of being addressed. It is therefore important to choose projects in fundamental science in a responsible manner. The way to do this is to pick winners. Astronomy offers South Africa the potential to use its access to the southern skies, coupled with its relative technological sophistication, to move to the cutting edge of a field which has excited the human imagination since time immemorial. This telescope will enable researchers to study a wide variety of topics, such as the study of the early universe, quasars and active galactic nuclei, galaxy populations and planetary searches.
A feasibility study has shown that South African industry has the capability to construct over 50% of the project. Where appropriate, technology transfer will take place between USA and South African companies. As telescope technology is frequently at the cutting edge of what is feasible, there will be technological spin-offs to South African industry, improving its competitiveness in other areas. An example here is the development of the high-precision tracker system, which will give South African industry the opportunity of developing robotic machine tools.
Carnegie Mellon University announced on July 10, 1998 its intention to raise $6 million for its part in the new world-class SALT telescope in South Africa that offers unique, natural advantages for research in cosmology and the search for new planets.
This project will mean that Carnegie Mellon will become a major player in international ground-based astronomy. Astronomers at Carnegie Mellon have established an eminent programme using the Hubble Space Telescope and other research telescopes in space and now the ground-based telescope will allow them to take full advantage of their findings.
``With a share in such a telescope of advanced technology, the work of Carnegie Mellon's astrophysics group will be enhanced in three ways,'' Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon said. ``First, we will have a unique opportunity to create full scientific and cultural ties with the new and emerging South Africa. Secondly, the telescope is ideally suited to the scientific goals of the Carnegie Mellon astrophysicists, thus advancing their work to the forefront of cosmological research. Finally, a large telescope has a proven ability in recruiting high-quality graduate students.''
Astrophysicists at the University of Pittsburgh, who conduct a variety of programs in observational astronomy, have also indicated that they would like to join the project.
The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) will be near Sutherland in the Northern Cape, South Africa. SALT will be a nine-meter class telescope for optical and infrared astronomy that is the southern hemisphere equivalent of the brand new Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET), now operating at the McDonald Observatory, Tex.
SALT is expected to cost $20 million and become operational in 2003. Astronomers will use the telescope to study the formation of galaxies in the early universe, to study massive black holes at the centers of distant galaxies and to search for planets around nearby stars.
``This is a bold new scientific and educational project for Carnegie Mellon,'' said Carnegie Mellon Astrophysics Professor Richard Griffiths. ``It provides us with an unusually strong vantage point from which to pursue our research. And there is a broader issue - that of inspiring young people here in the U.S. and in South Africa to pursue science. We think Carnegie Mellon's investment in such a telescope can have long-term impact, possibly bringing talented young scientists from South Africa to study here and giving our students time to observe the cosmos with a powerful new tool.''
Griffiths has the largest program of observations with the Hubble Space Telescope of any astronomer in the world and has been responsible for some of Hubble's instrumentation.
During a meeting at Carnegie Mellon in July, international scientists who are participating in the project, including Dr Khotso Mokhele, director of the Foundation for Research Development in South Africa (the equivalent of the U.S.'s National Science Foundation), Dr. Robert Stobie, director of the South African Astronomical Observatory, and Dr. Frank Bash, director of the McDonald Observatory in Texas, discussed what the new telescope will mean to astronomy and specifically what it will do to enhance the research and education programmes in astrophysics in the U.S.A. and in South Africa.
In June, the South African Government announced its intention to spend $10 million on the telescope. The remaining funds will come from their international partners, such as Carnegie Mellon and Rutgers universities in the United States, together with universities in Poland, Germany and New Zealand.
The Southern African Large Telescope will be competitive with more expensive telescopes like the Keck in Hawaii and it will be built for a fraction of the cost because it will use the design of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope.
In addition to following up on discoveries with Hubble, the new telescope in South Africa will hopefully enable astronomers to track down the massive black holes at the centers of distant galaxies. Carnegie Mellon's astronomers expect to first detect those black holes using new x-ray telescopes that will be launched into space next year.
The Southern African Large Telescope has an even greater purpose - to promote the general development of South African science and to provide a focal point on the African continent for training scientists in astronomy and astrophysics.
SALT will be managed by the South African Astronomical Observatory.
``With a useful lifetime of up to 50 years, SALT is an investment for the future,'' said Dr Stobie, who directs the observatory. ``Our geographical location south of the equator and the clear, dark Karoo skies at our Sutherland observatory where SALT will be constructed, give us a unique, natural advantage in research in astronomy.''
It is expected that the telescope will be renamed in honor of a major donor, as other major telescopes have been.
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Each year in January, the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) holds a Summer School in Astronomy at its headquarters in Cape Town. Summer School participants attend a programme of lectures on a broad spectrum of astronomical topics, as well as participating in a research project under the guidance of one of the SAAO astronomers. Participants also spend a week at the SAAO's field station in Sutherland (about 340 km NE of Cape Town) obtaining observations on one of the SAAO's research telescopes. The Summer School is conducted in English.
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The Summer School is gaining popularity among South African science students, and competition for places is keen. Applicants are required to submit an application form and letters of recommendation from their Professor or Head of Department. Successful applicants will normally have completed the third year of a Physics and/or Mathematics degree, but each application is judged on its merits. In support of the goals of the Working Group on Space Sciences in Africa, the SAAO offered places to two participants from institutes outside South Africa for the 1998 Summer School. These two participants were Dr Francis Podmore (U. Zimbabwe) and Mr Adrian Habanyama (U. Zambia). The Working Group hopes again to arrange places for a limited number of non-South African participants at future Summer Schools. Readers interested in finding out more about the SAAO Summer School in Astronomy are invited to contact the Coordinator of WGSSA by email at the address wgssa@saao.ac.za .
The 62nd Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 11 to 16 July 1999.
The Organizing Committee for MetSoc '99 reports that preparations for this international planetological conference are well under way. At this year's Annual Meeting in Dublin enormous interest was shown in next year's event and at least 300 participants are now expected. In addition, both the Council of the Meteoritical Society and the Barringer Crater Company reconfirmed their commitment to provide substantial sponsorship, in particular to facilitate the participation of African scientists or students. A considerable number of travel grants will be available!
Besides the regular scientific sessions on Solar System Exploration,
Meteorite Genesis, Micrometorites, Interplanetary Dust, Mars and
other Terrestrial Planets, Impact Cratering, Cosmochemistry, Asteroids
and Comets, Extinction Events, etc., several special sessions will be
held in Johannesburg: The Working Group on Cosmic Mineralogy of the
International Mineralogical Association will sponsor a special session on
``Mineralogy of Impact-Related Phenomena," the Working Group on
Extraterrestrial Geochemistry of the International Association of
Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry will sponsor a session on ``Thermal
History of Meteorites," and prior to the Conference (7 and 8 July
1999) a Special Symposium on ``Extraterrestrial Materials (meteorites,
micrometeorites, cosmic dust) from Hot and Cold Deserts" will be held
at the Kwa-Maritane Resort in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve, about 2
hours from Johannesburg. Finally, if sufficient participation can be
obtained, a special session for review talks on state-of-the-art
analytical instrumentation should be of wide interest for the
scientific community.
A number of indications of interest and requests for travel support
have already been received from African countries. However, there is
still scope for further support, and the Organizing Committee would
like to invite interested persons to contact them.
Further information can be obtained from:
Prof. W.U. Reimold, Department of Geology,
University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3,
P.O. Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa
Tel: +27 11 716 2946
Fax: +27 11 339 1697
E-mail: 065msoc@cosmos.wits.ac.za
WWW: http://www.wits.ac.za/metsoc99