Exploring the universe through astronomy
The SKA project will transform Africa into a sought-after science destination
The pursuit of fundamental scientific knowledge drives long-term economic competitiveness. Astronomy is a discipline that gives context to our place in the universe, and it provides a framework for how we see the world.
Studying astronomy also helps prolong the survival of the human species. For example, understanding the future of the climate or mapping the movement of objects in the solar system allows scientists to understand potential threats to the planet and human survival. Medical imaging, wireless internet and global positioning systems are some of the technologies that have resulted from astronomical studies.
The South African Large Telescope (Salt) is the largest single optical telescope in the southern hemisphere and is among the largest in the world. It can detect the light from distant objects in the universe that are a billion times too faint to see with the unaided eye.
Salt is situated at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) field station, near Sutherland in the Northern Cape, about 380km from Cape Town. A consortium of international partners from South Africa, the US, Germany, Poland, India, the UK and New Zealand fund Salt.
The construction phase was completed at the end of 2005, and from 2006 to 2009 it entered a period of commissioning and performance verification. Since September 2011, observation has been conducted and the telescope is realising its huge potential as Africa’s “giant eye on the universe”.
Salt has transformed Sutherland from a sleepy sheep farming and agricultural town into a tourist destination. Before Salt, there were approximately 250 tourists annually; now there are over 12 000. This has spurred economic development in the village, with the establishment of many new guesthouses and related businesses. Before Salt, there were just two bed-and-breakfast businesses in town. Now there are 40 B&Bs and 18 guest farms, each business employing three to five persons. In addition the Sutherland hotel has been revived and is thriving.
As part of the Salt Collateral Benefits Program, SAAO has established a community outreach centre in Sutherland, providing a safe, welcoming environment where learners can study and use computer technology, and where adults can acquire new skills.
Salt paved the way for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) as a frontrunner to demonstrate South Africa’s capabilities, a key element in the successful bid to host the SKA. Though it is overshadowed by the SKA project, it remains an iconic project. It shows that South Africa is leading the way in the field of astronomy, and taking full advantage of one of our abundant natural resources — the incredibly clear skies of the Karoo.
On May 25 2012, an international consortium chose to co-locate the SKA radio telescope in Australia and South Africa, together with eight other African partner countries. The SKA will be one of the biggest scientific projects in the world.
Supported by 10 member countries — Australia, Canada, China, India, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, The Netherlands and the UK — SKA Organisation has brought together some of the world’s finest scientists, engineers and policymakers, and more than 100 companies and research institutions across 20 countries in the design and development of the telescope. Construction of the next phase of SKA is set to start in 2018, with early scientific observations taking place in 2020.
Scientists will use the SKA to try and understand how the universe evolved, how stars and galaxies form and change, as well as unravelling the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. Scientists expect that the SKA will make new discoveries unimaginable at present.
South Africa’s SKA site in the Karoo is currently a hive of activity as teams of contractors are completing the infrastructure for MeerKAT, our own telescope precursor to SKA. They are building roads, dish manufacturing sheds, antenna foundations, and installing the electrical and fibre-ducting reticulation network.
Africa’s share of the SKA project means that the continent is set to become a sought-after science destination. Over the next decades, many top scientists and research students will come to our shores for cuttingedge science.
The SKA will collect and process vast amounts of data and will stimulate cutting-edge advances in highperformance computing.
Producing the thousands of dishes required for the SKA within the project’s time scales will also require an entirely new way of building highly sophisticated and sensitive scientific instruments, which should lead to innovations in manufacturing and construction.
For the next 10 to 12 years, the building of and support services to MeerKAT and the SKA itself will create jobs. Following that, the running and maintenance of the SKA will create jobs for at least 50 years.
Another important impact of South Africa’s SKA project is the surge of interest in studying mathematics, engineering and astrophysics at local universities it is causing, as well as attracting top students and academics from around the world to South Africa. This megaproject is influencing young people to take up science, engineering and technology (SET) careers, and to train in skills that will be in demand in the global knowledge economy of the future.
The SKA SA project invests in developing skills for MeerKAT and the SKA through its dedicated Human Capacity Development Programme. Close to 500 people, ranging from artisans to postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows, have already received bursaries and grants.
After the International Space Station and the Large Hadron Collider, the Square Kilometre Array is the world’s next great science project. Through SKA, South Africa has made a major investment in the future.