Pretoria - The search for other galaxies will be one of the topics under discussion at the South African Large Telescope (SALT) Science Conference, this week.
The weeklong conference organised by the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), which starts today is being held at Stellenbosch University, in Cape Town.
The conference, which will be opened by Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor, will discuss the achievements of SALT since its establishment in 2005, as well as its future.
Operated by SAAO and based in Sutherland, in the Karoo, SALT is the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere. The organisation also makes a significant contribution to human capacity development in astronomy in South Africa.
Scientists at SALT have published numerous papers, including a nature article on the discovery by South African astronomers of the very first known stars in the flared disk of the Milky Way, said spokesperson Lunga Ngqengelele.
“With the development of major new international projects in the southern hemisphere, like the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope, there is an increasing demand for observations done at SALT to support multiwavelength astronomy,” said Ngqengelele.
The five-day conference will see talks and poster presentations on the solar system, stellar evolution, instrumentation and operations, and collateral benefits, among other topics. - SAnews.gov.za
