Square Kilometre Array (SKA)

 

Help us bring the SKA project to Africa

	The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be a mega radio telescope, about 100 times more sensitive than the biggest existing radio telescope.
	SKA is a €1.5 billion project, with operating costs of about €100 million a year.
	It will be the first to provide mankind with detailed pictures of the “dark ages” 13.7 billion years back in time.
	This mega telescope will be powerful and sensitive enough to observe radio signals from the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang.
	If there is life somewhere else in the Universe, the SKA will help us find it.
	At least 24 organisations from 12 countries, including Australia, Canada, India, China, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA, are involved.
	The SKA will consist of approximately 4 000 dish-shaped antennae and other hybrid receiving technologies.
	Both South Africa and Australia have suitably remote, radio quiet areas for hosting the SKA and have competing bids to host the SKA.
	If Africa wins the SKA bid, the core of this giant telescope will be constructed in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape Province near to the towns of Carnarvon and Williston, linked to a computing facility in Cape Town.
	Other countries where stations will be placed include Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Mauritius, Madagascar, Kenya and Zambia.
	South Africa is already building the Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT) which is a precursor instrument for the SKA, but will in its own right be amongst the largest and most powerful telescopes in the world.
	Why is Africa the best site for the SKA?       Most valuable for science           Low levels of radio frequency interference and certainty of future radio quiet zone.           Significant investment in skilled human resources - bursaries for scientists from across Africa, training for technicians and artisans.       Best imaging           An ideal physical environment (little water vapour, calm stable weather conditions).       Most Affordable           Required land, labour and support services available and very affordable.       Most Reliable           Core basic infrastructure of roads, electricity and communication already in place .           Ideal geographical location, sky coverage and topography.           Safe and stable area with very few people and no conflicting economic activities.       Most Options           The astronomical "richness" of the southern skies & strong tradition of astronomy.           Excellent academic infrastructure to support SKA science and technology.
More info...    Who is the barefoot astronomer?

The Southern Star Party (2011 March, Bonnievale, South Africa)

The Southern Star Party | Suidelike Sterrefees
2011 March, Bonnievale, South Africa

The mere utterance of the words "star party" makes me tingle. As a school kid I read with wide-eyed longing of Stellafane, a mystical place far, far away where all they did at night was look at deep sky objects and spent the days pushing glass. It's taken a while, but the first inkling of a local Stellafane happened this past week-end just outside Bonnievale in the Western Cape.

 Read it all...

•  SSP photo gallery

Square Kilometre Array - Newsletter

• Read about all the SKA achievements

Vriende van Boyden Ope-aand, 19:00 op Vrydag 25 Februarie

Vriende van Boyden Ope-aand,

19:00 op Vrydag 25 Februarie
English translation follows at the bottom

Bespreek asseblief vroegtydig!

Bel 051 401 2561 tydens kantoorure
Of stuur 'n epos aan vjaarsdp@ufs.ac.za
Toegang: R 30 per motor
Verversings en ligte etes te koop.
Aangebied deur: Vriende van Boyden Sterrewag en die Amateur Sterrekunde Vereniging

Die Ingenieurswese agter Sterrekunde 

Sterrekunde het by die publiek en selfs die wetenskaplike gemeenskap die gesig van mooi foto’s, sterrekundige data en uiteindelik wetenskaplike resultate. Daar is egter ‘n enorme ingenieurspoging nodig om dit alles te laat gebeur – die meeste daarvan ongesiens agter die skerms. Willie Koorts se lesing sal op hierdie aspek fokus en sal aantoon hoe instrumentasie en beheersisteme op die voorpunt van die tegnologie wat vir die moderne sterrekunde noodsaaklik is, tot stand kom.

Willie Koorts werk vir die afgelope 23 jaar as ’n Elektroniese Tegnikus by die Suid-Afrikaanse Astronomiese Observatorium in Kaapstad. Hy het begin by SAAO se buite stasie in Sutherland in die Karoo en skuif later na hulle hoofkantoor by die sterrewag in Kaapstad as deel van die ingenieurspan. Hier ontwerp en bou hulle die beheersisteme en instrumentasie vir die teleskope in Sutherland. Die SAAO het ook die kontrak gekry om twee kameras vir SALT te bou waarby Willie Koorts nou betrokke was, spesifiek met die verantwoordelikheid vir die installasie van dié baie duur detektore.

Willie Koorts het as ’n amateur sterrekundige geïnteresseerd geraak nadat hy in Sutherland, en as deel van ’n UNISA Rekenaarwetenskap kwalifikasie, sommige B.Sc. Astronomie modules geneem het. Hy is ook ’n amateur teleskoopbouer (ATB) en werkskaf ook met die aanpassing van webkameras en donkerlig videokameras vir astronomiese gebruik. ’n Ander belangstelling van Willie Koorts is sterrekunde geskiedenis waaroor hy navorsing gedoen het en ’n paar artikels gepubliseer het. Hy het ook geïnteresseerd geraak in satellietopsporing en het ’n rekenaarbeheerde montering vir die opsporing van satelliete ontwikkel - ’n geheime Amerikaanse spioensatelliet is onlangs met so ’n sisteem opgespoor. Ander belangstellings is fotografie en in die laaste tyd, Geocaching- die “sport” om skatte te vind (en te versteek) met die gebruik van ’n GPS.

Vir die laaste vier jaar was Willie die redakteur van MNASSA (Maandelikse Notas van die Astronomiese Vereniging van Suidelike Afrika). Hy skryf gereeld vir die WEG, De KAT en ONS EIE en vertaal ’n paar publikasies vir Struik Uitgewers. Hy is die voorsitter van die OWG (die Orion Waarnemingsgroep), ’n informele sterrekundeklub in die Boland en is taamlik betrokke by die Voortrekkers en reik spesiale astronomie kentekens uit. Ander publieke uitreikaktiwiteite sluit in sy rol as toergids vir die jaarlikse ATKV bustoer vanaf Wellington (sy tuisdorp) na Sutherland.

 
Friends of Boyden Open Evening,

19:00 on Friday 25 February
Reservation is Required. Book early!

Contact 051 401 2561 during office hours
Or send an e-mail to vjaarsdp@ufs.ac.za to book.
Entrance: R 30 per car
Refreshments and light meals will be for sale.
Presented by: Friends of Boyden Observatory and the Amateur Astronomy Association.

The Engineering behind Astronomy

The face of astronomy to the public or even the scientific community are pretty pictures, astronomical data and ultimately scientific results.  But a huge engineering effort is required to make this all happen - most of which happens unseen, behind the scenes.  Willie Koorts’ talk will focus on this aspect and reveal how the cutting edge instrumentation and control systems needed in modern astronomy comes about.

Willie Koorts has been working as an Electronics Technician at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Cape Town for the past 23 years.  He started at SAAO's observing outstation in Sutherland in the Karoo and later moved to their head quarters in Observatory, Cape Town as part of the engineering team there.  Here they design and build the control systems and instrumentation for the telescopes in Sutherland.  SAAO also got the contract to build two of the cameras for SALT with which Willie was intimately involved, with the responsibility of installing the super-expensive detectors himself.

Willie got interested as an Amateur Astronomer after starting in Sutherland and, as part of a UNISA Computer Science qualification, did some BSc Astronomy modules.  He's also an ATM (Amateur Telescope Builder) and tinkered with modifying webcams and low-light video cameras for use in astronomy.  Another interest is Astronomical History for which he did some research and published a few articles.  He also got interested in satellite tracking and developed a computer controlled mount for tracking satellites - a secret American spy-satellite was recently tracked down using such a system.  Other interests are photography and, lately, Geocaching - the "sport" of finding (and hiding) hidden treasures using a GPS.

For the last four years Willie has been the editor of MNASSA (Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa).  He regularly writes articles for WEG, de Kat and Ons Eie and translated a few publications for Struik Publishers.  He's the chairman of OOG (the Orion Observation Group), an informal astronomy club in the Boland and is quite involved with the Voortrekkers, presenting special astronomy badges.  Other public outreach activities include being the tourguide for an annual ATKV bustour from Wellington (his hometown) to Sutherland.

Invitation to the Southern Star Party (2011 March 04-06)

You're invited

Join us for a week-end of star gazing and friendly chat at the Southern Star Party, which will be held on March 04-06 on a farm just outside of Bonnievale, near Robertson, in the Western Cape.

The GPS position to point your car to is 34:00:45 South, 19:59:43 East.

The organizers of the event are Willie Koorts, Edward and Lynnette Foster, Martin Lyons, Suki Lock and Auke Slotegraaf.

Visit the website at the Southern Star Party blog for more.

Programme

As of this writing, the programme will consist of:

1. "What astrophotography teaches us about the deep sky" – Dr Dieter Willasch
2. "Basic astrophotography with a digital camera" - Kos Coronaios
3. "The next step: astrophotography through a telescope" - Lucas Ferreira
4. "How to care for and clean your telescope" – Willie Koorts
5. "Fossils, Light & Time" – Edward Foster
6. "Astronomy for beginners" – Edward Foster
7. "Deep Sky Observing Workshop" – Auke Slotegraaf

There will also be an "Astronomy Pub Quiz", and a sale table.

Night-time events include:

1. "What's up in the sky tonight" – Willie Koorts
2. "Learning the Constellations: Using ConCards to find star patterns and bright deep sky objects" – Auke Slotegraaf
3. "A Guided Binocular Starhop" – Auke Slotegraaf

Find out more

For more details, and the all-important booking and registration, visit the Southern Star Party blog. Space is very limited, so please book right away.

Valentines day in NGC 2547 in Vela

 Click to enlarge

 Hi all Stargazers

May you have health, wealth, prosperity and joy in abundance this year!

About 7 years ago I “discovered” this cluster and took the liberty of naming it the Heart Cluster. I made mention of it in my book as well. It is cluster NGC2547, located near the bright multiple star Gamma Velorum in the constellation Vela.

 

I have copied Neville Young, a member and friend of the Pretoria Centre for ASSA. Hope you like it Neville!

Look Up and Discover the Cosmic Gems We All Deserve to See!

Best regards

Wayne Mitchell,

Author of the STAR GAZER'S DEEP SPACE ATLAS

Member of the Pretoria Centre of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa

www.deepspaceatlas.com

Eclipse Photo Gallery: January 4, 2011

On Jan. 4, 2011, the Moon passed in front of the sun, slightly off-center, producing a partial solar eclipse visible from Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia

• More images

Transit of the ISS during the Solar Eclipse of January 4, 2011 from Oman

 

Photo: Thierry Legault

•  Visit his website for more information and images

Help! Is this book available in South Africa? Where?

Has anyone seen this book (2nd Edition) in a bookshop in South Africa.

Email and let us know!  (assabfn@gmail.com) or post a comment!

The book

Finding your way around the sky is easy with this Atlas

Atlas of the Southern Night Sky – by Steve Massey and Steve Quirk
This top-selling, Australian-authored and -published hardcover atlas has been specially produced for Southern Hemisphere stargazers.
Fully revised and updated with new information, images and maps, the latest edition has easy-to-follow starcharts and details of astronomical objects that are within reach of most backyard telescopes.
Beginning with a basic introduction to the night sky—what you can see, how to find your way around the sky and what to look for— Atlas of the Southern Night Sky then delves into lunar and planetary observing, with authoritative information on how best to observe these celestial targets. This comprehensive reference book will be appreciated for years to come.

• 290 full-colour pages, hardcover
• Over 100 star charts and maps (use in conjunction with the Red Light Torch included in this pack)
• Maps of the Moon and planets
• Fully illustrated with images by Australian and New Zealand amateur astronomers to give a realistic perspective on what can be seen and photographed
• List of constellations and astronomical objects visible throughout the year
• Tips and tricks
• Guide to astrophotography and image processing

Go Voyager! Go!

The most distant space probe, Voyager 1, was about 16 light-hours away from Earth as of 9 October 2010. It took that space probe 33 years to cover that distance, and will take over 18,000 years to reach one light-year at the same speed.

Voyager 1 is about to kiss the solar system goodbye.

The plucky spacecraft – one of two Voyagers launched more than 30 years ago and now bound for interstellar space – appears to have reached a region within a broad boundary between the sun's influence and interstellar space where the speed of the solar wind's outflow reaches zero, scientists report.
The region is known as the heliopause, where the solar wind – a continuous flow of charged particles that streams from the sun in all directions at roughly 1 million miles per hour – is brought to a standstill as it meets interstellar winds head-on and gets deflected sideways.

"The solar wind has turned the corner," said Ed Stone, the mission's project scientist, in a statement. The Voyager team presented its evidence at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union, currently under way in San Francisco.
The boundary between the sun's influence, known as the heliosphere, and interstellar space is thought to consist of four onion-like layers: the termination shock, where the solar wind grows increasingly turbulent as the sun plows through interstellar space; the heliosheath, where the wind grows turbulent and get compressed and heated; the heliopause, Voyager 1's current location, and the bow shock, the outermost region where the solar system in essence generates a wake in the tenuous gas and dust between stars.

Voyager 1 passed through the termination shock and into the heliosheath in December 2004. The craft passed into the heliopause last June, at a distance of some 10.6 billion miles from the sun. It's currently traveling at 38,000 m.p.h.


How much time remains before Voyager 1 enters interstellar space?

A research team led by University of Arizona physicist Ke Chiang Hseih has analyzed data from Voyagers 1 and 2, as well as from spacecraft closer, to suggest that the heliopause at Voyager 1's location is only about 21 astronomical units wide (give or take 6 A.U.), or roughly 21 times the distance between the Earth and sun.
The team acknowledges that its estimate represents a "very coarse cut" at taking the measure of "a very dynamic region." But if it's correct, Voyager could take as few as four years to clear the heliopause and enter the bow shock.

The estimate was published in August in Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The latest data from Voyager 1 should help refine those estimates, researchers say.

Source Christian Science Monitor

• Today Voyager1 is 16 hrs 08 mins 22 secs of light-travel time from Earth