SAAO Annual Report 2018/19
The 2018/19 SAAO Annual Report has been released: Download report below:...
09 Dec, 2019
South African Astronomical Observatory
Welcome to the Southern sky
The latest in South African astronomy
MeerKAT and SALT combine to solve mystery stellar event
Scientists using the MeerKAT radio telescope and the Southern African Large Telescope have combined forces for the first time to discover and identify a unique and previously-unseen flare of radio emission from a binary star in our Galaxy....
20 Nov, 2019
A very rare event worth observing: Mercury passing across the face of the Sun
The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) will host a transit of Mercury viewing event at the SAAO in Observatory on Monday, 11 November from 14h35 till sunset. This transit will be visible across the African continent starting at our local time corresponding to 14h35 pm South......
07 Nov, 2019
SALT observes super fast spirals!
Astronomers using the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), have measured the rotation of some of the largest spiral galaxies, spinning at up to 570 kilometres per second! Their rapid spin is a result of sitting within an extraordinarily massive cloud, or halo, of dark matter – invisible matter detectable only through its gravity. The largest “super spiral” studied here resides in a dark matter halo weighing at least 40 trillion times the mass of our Sun....
17 Oct, 2019
SAAO and MeerKAT combine to confirm the detection of a flaring black hole
Researchers from the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) have utilised the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory MeerKAT Telescope to confirm the existence of a never-before-seen flaring black hole....
11 Sep, 2019
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Latest events
List of Events
Open Night: Galaxies in the Universe
Members of the public are welcome to an Open Night at the SAAO in Cape Town on 14 December 2019, starting at 20h00. Dr. Fangxia An (UWC/IDIA) will present a talk titled Galaxies in the Universe. This will be followed by a tour of the site and (weather permitting) star gazing.
Open Night: Observations of supermassive black holes
Members of the public are welcome to an Open Night at the SAAO in Cape Town on 11 January 2020, starting at 20h00. Dr. Sarah White (SARAO) will present a talk titled Observations of supermassive black holes. This will be followed by a tour of the site and (weather permitting) star gazing.
Open Night: Do not go gentle into that good night
Members of the public are welcome to an Open Night at the SAAO in Cape Town on 14 March 2020, starting at 20h00. Dr. Iniyan Natarajan (Rhodes University/SARAO) will present a talk titled Do not go gentle into that good night. This will be followed by a tour of the site and (weather permitting) star gazing.