ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY

High in the Cederberg Mountains, 240km north of Cape Town, on the farm Dwarsrivier lies the Cederberg Astronomical Observatory (19 deg 15' E 32 deg 30' S). Privately owned and a non-profit organization it is run by seven partners.

The observatory has been in existence since the early eighties. Originally an undeveloped plot of land with little more than unpolluted dark skies and magnificent mountain views to recommend it, the observatory has developed over the years into an amateur astronomer's paradise.

Basic but comfortable accommodation has been erected, complete with ablutions and cooking facilities for the astronomers on duty.

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SAAO

The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) is the national centre for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa.

Its prime function is to conduct fundamental research in astronomy and astrophysics by providing a world-class facility and by promoting astronomy and astrophysics in Southern Africa. SAAO headquarters are in the suburb of Observatory in Cape Town. The main telescopes used for research are located at the SAAO observing station near Sutherland in the Northern Cape, a 4 hour drive from Cape Town.

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is the largest single optical telescope in the southern hemisphere, with a hexagonal mirror array 11 metres across. Although very similar to the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) in Texas, SALT has a redesigned optical system using more of the mirror array. It will be able to record distant stars, galaxies and quasars a billion times too faint to be seen with the unaided eye - as faint as a candle flame at the distance of the moon.

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