In the wake of a dying Sun
A team of scientists from the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), Michigan State University (MSU), and the University of Miami (UM) have created novel 3D simulations to investigate how dyin...
17 Mar, 2022
Minister Nzimande welcomes South Africa’s hosting of NASA-funded Hazardous Asteroid Tracking Telescope
The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, is pleased that one of two new ATLAS asteroid alert system telescopes is being hosted in South Africa at the National Resea...
31 Jan, 2022
Observations from amateur astronomers lead to the discovery of a warped disc around a black hole in our Milky Way
An international team of astrophysicists from South Africa, the UK, France and the US have found large variations in the brightness of light seen from around one of the closest black holes in our Gala...
27 Oct, 2021
Astronomers see white dwarf “switch on and off” for first time
Astronomers have used a planet-hunting satellite to see a white dwarf abruptly switching on and off for the first time. The team observed the phenomenon in the white dwarf binary system, TW Pictoris, ...
21 Oct, 2021
Researchers discover three super-massive black holes merging together in our nearby universe
Researchers using the IRSF (InfraRed Survey Facility) at SAAO in Sutherland, have discovered three supermassive black holes from three galaxies merging together! The IRSF is a collaboration between Na...
16 Sep, 2021
eROSITA and SALT witness the awakening of massive black holes
Combined observations by eROSITA, the main instrument aboard the Spectrum-Röntgen-Gamma (SRG) satellite, and the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) have led to an important discovery. Two appa...
28 Apr, 2021
Connect South Africa – Call for applications
Deadline: 26 of May 2021 Introduction Since 2014 CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Geneva, and Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council have worked together to foster experimentation...
14 Apr, 2021
The bicentenary of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and the Unveiling of the SAAO as a National Heritage Site
The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) will celebrate 200 years of existence as an astronomical observatory on 20 October 2020. The Royal Observatory Cape of Good Hope was founded on 20 Oct...
13 Oct, 2020
Accreting pulsar caught in the act of ‘powering up’
Observations across a range of wavelengths (optical, ultraviolet and X-rays) made in 2019, including those from the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) have captured – for the first time ...
10 Jun, 2020
SALT contributes to a new understanding of novae
An international team of researchers, led by Dr Elias Aydi, a former SAAO and University of Cape Town PhD Student, now at Michigan State University (MSU), have discovered a new cause for the incredibl...
14 Apr, 2020