Astronomy talk titled "Looking into the Dark: The telescopes of Sutherland" /media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/256x256s/c6/24/e6/5802-McClean-sunset-by-Anthony-Koeslag-2012-03-12-1-22-1431332853.jpg New

The Observatory surburb is so called because of the the SA Astronomical Observatory headquarters which are located in Observatory adjacent to the River Club on Observatory Road while their research facility is in Sutherland in the Northern Cape.

Join us on Saturday May 23 at 20h00 at the South African Astronomical Observatory when Willie Koorts, an electronics engineer who has witnessed the transition from observing in Cape Town to the relocation of telescopes to Sutherland will give an account of history during his talk titled "Looking into the dark: The telescopes of Sutherland"

Summary of his talk

When the Sutherland Observatory was officially opened on March 15, 1973, there were only three telescope domes. Three years later, a forth telescope was added; this was still the scene when Willie Koorts joined SAAO in 1987 as electronic technician. A few years later, things started to change as the Observatory entered the robotic telescope era. More and more domes started appearing on the hilltop, including the huge flagship SALT telescope. Recently some older telescopes were retired to make room for more modern equipment, one with a connection to the SKA project.

Today there is a total of 21 domes dotted around the observing plateau, as well as five hosted experiments. In addition to the research telescopes, there is a well equipped Visitors’ Centre, visitors’ telescopes and even a ‘people’s’ dome dedicated to anyone keen to connect with the cosmos, which completes the picture. In this talk, Willie will take you into every nook and cranny around the Sutherland Observatory.