MeerLICHT telescope, a boost for youth and science
Cape Town - The next generation of astronomers will come from the youth in Sutherland in the Northern Cape, where the Southern Africa Large Telescope (Salt), is located.
This was according to the Department of Science and Technology’s director-general Dr Phil Mjwara, at the launch of the MeerLicht telescope.
He said they hoped the MeerLicht project would also allow other southern African countries to share in humanity’s fascination with the night sky.
RELATED: MeerLICHT opens up new view to stars
Mjwara said MeerLicht and Salt which are both located at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), in Sutherland will motivate the next generation of astronomers.
“A kid from Sutherland could be one of those astronomers one day. We also invested in the schools here. And we launched a fully functional science laboratory in the area,” he said.
School principal of Sutherland High School, Persephonie van der Ross, said: “Salt has already made an impact in the community and MeerLicht has led to more investment in Sutherland. Especially in the education of our children.”
LEARNING: The Department of Science and Technology donated new desks to Sutherland Primary School at the handover of a new science laboratory at the high school.
Dr Clifford Nxomani deputy chief executive of the national research Infrastructure Platforms at the National Research Foundation, explained that when Salt was built in 2005 the town did not even have a science teacher.
“We are quite proud of what transpired. The community is learning more about science. And want more children to develop an interest in science.
“A lot of new data will be emanating from the telescopes. It means that new fields will be rising out of this data,” he said.
MeerLicht is located at the Sutherland station of the SAAO. It is built to combine excellent resolution with a wide field of view.
It is able to discern objects one million times fainter than is possible with the naked eye.
Dr Steven Bloemhof, the project manager for MeerLicht, explained that it was a unique combination where astronomers would be studying stars and galaxies.
“Because it is also optical it can see a larger part of the sky. In other words MeerLicht is a filter for Salt.
“It will send Salt only the important filtered images, which it will then look at more in depth.”
He said it took them four and a half years to build the optical telescope. It also has a 110 megapixel camera. It enables astronomers to look at large parts of the southern sky.
MeerLicht will also be linked to the MeerKAT radio telescope in Carnavon, which is South Africa’s precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
Mjwara added that it is six years since the African continent won the bid to co-host the world’s largest radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
“This, of course, was an unforgettable moment for us as a country and continent, and I am sure the feeling of achievement still lingers in the minds of many.
“The awarding of the bid to Africa was a significant moment in Africa’s scientific progress, and it may be useful to reflect on some of the progress that we have made since the bid was awarded.
“The Department of Science and Technology identified astronomy as one of the key drivers of our international science collaboration agenda.
“Our national Multi-wavelength Astronomy Strategy seeks to position South Africa as a global hub for astronomy sciences, world-class facilities and human capital development.
“Through this strategy, we hope to take maximum advantage of South Africa’s historical strengths in the area of astronomy, its geographic advantage, the clear Karoo skies, and the engineering and scientific base of its people.
“We seek to build on our large-scale investments in existing large-scale scientific projects such as the MeerKAT and Square Kilometre Array, and the Southern African Large Telescope, Salt,” he said.
GIGANTIC: The new MeerLicht telescope at the South Africa Astronomical Observatory in Sutherland.
According to Mjwara all these instruments have contributed greatly towards enhancing South Africa’s stature as a growing research hub and a preferred research partner in the area of astronomy.
“We see the MeerLicht project as furthering our efforts to drive the Multi-wavelength Astronomy Strategy of South Africa, but also as a spin-off of the MeerKAT and a symbol of technological advancement in astronomy,” he said.
MeerLicht is a collaboration between South Africa, the Netherlands and the UK. It includes researchers from six different institutions.
Professor Paul Groot from Radboud University Nijmegen and a representative from the Netherlands Consortium partners, said building the telescope was a challenge.
“But the team did a wonderful job. It was also great to work with the local community here,” Groot said.
Professor Rob Fender from Oxford University, from the UK Consortium partners described MeerLicht as an astronomical phenomenon.
“With MeerLicht we will be able to study exploding stars. These telescopes will be able to tell us about most the important phenomena since the big bang theory.”
University of Cape Town’s Professor Patrick Woudt, co-principal investigator, said: “These stellar explosions need to be investigated before they fade away. The study of exploding stars across the universe will gain a whole new dimension.”
@RusanaPhilander