[image:pxhere]

South Africans tend to focus so much on the rocks blocking our path that we sometimes forget to look up and appreciate the stars.

In truth, our country is one of the leading nations when it comes to advances in astronomy, and come August, we will be hosting the first-ever global meeting of astronomers on African soil.

The 32nd International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly will be held in Cape Town from 6 to 15 August and will bring together over 2,000 international astronomers to address key topics in contemporary astronomy and assess the latest scientific progress in several specialised areas.

Taking place every three years, the IAU General Assembly aims to advance the astronomical sciences through international collaboration, and this year’s event –  led by the African Astronomical Society – will celebrate the continent’s astronomical heritage and commitment to advancing the field.

Approximately 2,000 presentations are scheduled across more than 300 sessions. In addition, it will feature six symposia and 12 multi-session focus meetings. This will definitely be a Woodstock of star nerds.

“Alongside international scientific impact, this meeting will have a societal impact that goes beyond national barriers in a continent-wide celebration of astronomy – Africa Astro Month. Learners, scientists, students and members of the public will be brought together for knowledge exchange and inspiration.”

South Africa has made significant progress in astronomy development, including major projects such as the SKA and MeerKAT radio telescope.

The SKA will be the greatest radio telescope ever built, producing science that will transform our understanding of the cosmos.

MeerKAT, formerly known as the Karoo Array Telescope, is a radio telescope in the Northern Cape that was inaugurated in 2018. It is made up of 64 13.5m-diameter radio dishes scattered across an 8km region. It is the most sensitive telescope of its kind in the world and serves as a prelude to the SKA radio telescope, which will be erected in South Africa and Australia.

Earlier this year, the MeerKAT telescope helped a group of international astronomers to discover 49 new galaxies, in less than three hours.

The DSI says during the IAU General Assembly, there will be opportunities for media to visit key astronomy sites, including the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and Southern African Large Telescope in Sutherland, Northern Cape, and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), MeerKAT and SKA mid-site in Carnarvon, Northern Cape.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by NRF | SAAO (@saao_astro)

If you haven’t visited one of these places, do yourself a favour and check it out. It really is awe-inspiring what lies beyond our tiny world.

[source:itweb]