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.
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