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Mail & Guardian

Southern African Large Telescope

latest news & developments
The auditorium at the world’s largest astronomy meeting, the 32nd General Assembly of the International Astronomy Union (IAU) at Cape Town International Convention Centre on August 06, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Misha Jordaan/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
AFRICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

World’s largest astronomy meeting debuts in Cape Town

South Africa’s groundbreaking astronomical advances, the Southern African Large Telescope and the Square Kilometre Array, will be featured at the IAU General Assembly

  • Umamah Bakharia
3 min read
BLACK ROCKS #1, between Calvinia and Williston, Northern Cape. Taken from “Hemelliggaam or The Attempt To Be Here Now” (Tommaso Fiscaletti and Nic Grobler)
HEMELLIGGAAM

“The earth is full of heavenly bodies everywhere”

In this interview Tommaso Fiscaletti and Nic Grobler’s speak about the inspiration for the project and how it continues to evolve.

  • Kwanele Sosibo
13 min read
An artist’s impression of the supersoft X-ray binary system, ASASSN-16oh, with a small white dwarf star (left) accreting hot gas from its Sun-like companion (right), through an accretion disk. (M Weiss/Nasa)
DUNCAN ALFREDS

Telescope confirms new evidence of white dwarf cannibalising its companion star

The find has led astronomers to change their view on how massive radiation bursts occur on white dwarf stars

  • Duncan Alfreds
2 min read
The Net1 subsidiary’s director, Nunthakumarin Pillay, says in his affidavit that hundreds of thousands of social grant beneficiaries had opted to receive their social assistance in EPE accounts. (Gallo)
MEERKAT RADIO TELESCOPE

For tech to be funded, it must improve lives

Whether it was in the use of satellites to monitor the continent’s resources or precision medicine, we need technology to accelerate development.

  • Sarah Wild
6 min read
SA makes astronomical advances
DEREK HANEKOM

SA makes astronomical advances

Local research and development is on track in the country’s bid to host the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope.

  • Lynley Donnelly
6 min read
ASTRONOMY

Blighted by poor web connection

Astronomers at SA’s space telescope are forced to send findings by road, while politicians call on Telkom to resolve the issue, reports David Smith.

  • Staff Reporter
3 min read
SOUTHERN AFRICAN LARGE TELESCOPE

SA Large Telescope hit by broadband problems

It can see to the edge of the universe, it can peer back to the aftermath of the Big Bang. Don’t ask it to send the secret of creation by email.

  • Staff Reporter
3 min read