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Mercury, November/December 1997 Table of Contents

Bob Stobie
Case Rijsdijk
South African Astronomical Observatory

The first democratic government of South Africa was elected in April 1994. Its commitment to basic science seems as strong as ever.

Will astronomy, or any fundamental science, survive in the new South Africa? The country faces immense problems, the legacy of apartheid. Providing basic housing, education, and health care are the highest priorities. Yet in a white paper on science and technology a year ago, the government gave a very affirmative response to the above question:

Scientific endeavour is not purely utilitarian in its objectives and has important associated cultural and social values. It is also important to maintain a basic competence in "flagship" sciences such as physics and astronomy for cultural reasons. Not to offer them would be to take a negative view of our future -- the view that we are a second class nation chained forever to the treadmill of feeding and clothing ourselves.

Last year, the government increased funding for both of South Africa's national astronomy facilities: the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory, which operates a 26-meter radio telescope, and the South African Astronomical Observatory, which has four optical and infrared telescopes. Policy-makers said they invested in these facilities because they attract cutting-edge international collaboration and stimulate public interest in and understanding of science.

These are crucial goals. Much of the population is scientifically illiterate and only a small proportion has access to good schools [see "The Problems of Science in Africa," p. 16]. The situation is particularly serious in disadvantaged areas, where school facilities are poor, teachers often undermotivated and underqualified, and science often not taught at all. The government has formulated a new "outcomes-based" curriculum, which will be phased in over five years starting in 1998. The plan is to make better use of available resources and give teachers much-needed in-service training.

Astronomy is included in this curriculum. At the same time, observatory staff have started to bring astronomy into classrooms, with the aim of interesting youngsters in science and technology. Scientists have concentrated on developing materials that can be produced at low cost, such as a cardboard-tube telescope (cost: US$1.50) and a sundial from A4 card. In 1995, the SAAO organized a workshop for science teachers immediately prior to an International Astronomical Union conference in Cape Town. Teachers interacted with some of the most experienced educators in astronomy worldwide. This was followed in 1996 by the opening of an educational resources center, which holds regular workshops for teachers and students.

At the university level, several institutions offer astronomy and use SAAO facilities. As yet, however, few black students study science; the great majority choose arts or humanities. The historically black universities are generally much stronger in the humanities than in the sciences. The national observatories are trying to improve university science education by providing training for technikon students and opportunities for master's and doctoral students. The SAAO runs a month-long summer school to give final-year and honors students the experience of research.

The other policy goal, international collaboration, has long been a tradition of astronomy in South Africa. A visiting-astronomer program allocates a certain percentage of telescope time to astronomers from other countries. Because of their location south of the equator, both observatories frequently participate in international campaigns. If 24-hour coverage is required of certain astronomical phenomena from the Southern Hemisphere, astronomical facilities are needed on each continent. South Africa gains greatly from this contact and technological exchange.

The total community of astronomers in South Africa is small -- about 45 researchers and 15 postgraduate students. At Hartebeesthoek, they conduct very-long-baseline interferometry, continuum observations of Galactic emission, spectroscopic studies of maser emission, and pulsar timing. SAAO operates four telescopes (1.9-meter, 1.0-meter, 0.75-meter, 0.5-meter) at its Sutherland outstation, 360 kilometers northeast of Cape Town in an arid region with seeing that is often less than 1 arcsecond. These telescopes are equipped with photometers, CCDs, infrared array cameras, and optical spectrographs, most of which are designed, constructed, and maintained by the observatory technical staff. The observatory concentrates on pulsating stars, Galactic structure, the Magellanic clouds, and the distance scale.

The amateur community is also active. The Astronomical Society of Southern Africa, founded in 1910 after the Halley appearance, now has 350 members, both amateur and professional. Another 150 or so amateurs are active in the seven local branches of the society. South African amateurs participate in international programs, including the IOTA planetary-occultation observations and the American Association of Variable Star Observers. [Editor's note: Last year Daniel Overbeek of Edenvale, near Johannesburg, won the ASP's Amateur Achievement Award.]

Although South Africa has serious problems, most people are optimistic about the future. It is a country of great cultural diversity, considerable natural resources, and a strong infrastructure. Within Africa, South Africa is seen as the center of basic space science. Increasingly, scientists and technologists from other African countries -- such as Namibia, Malawi, Nigeria, and Egypt -- come here to gain experience and training.

But if South Africa is to remain internationally competitive in astronomy, it needs access to a telescope comparable to those in Chile. SAAO has proposed such a telescope for its Sutherland station. The design favored is a copy of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at the McDonald Observatory in Texas. This telescope, primarily a spectroscopic survey instrument, has an 11-meter, segmented primary mirror. Because of a deliberate trade-off between cost and versatility, the telescope is remarkably inexpensive, an estimated US$20 million. We are actively seeking partners for this venture. In this, as in other matters, South Africa cannot go it alone.

BOB STOBIE is the director and CASE RIJSDIJK is the education officer of the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town. Their email addresses are rss@saao.ac.za and case@saao.ac.za. For more information on South African astronomy, visit http://www.saao.ac.za and http://www.hartrao.ac.za.