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Astronomical Society Of Southern Africa
The Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA), formed in 1922, is a widespread body consisting of both amateur and professional astronomers. There are eight autonomous centres throughout Southern Africa. History The Cape Astronomical Association was established in 1912, shortly after the 1910 appearance of Halley's Comet. Sydney Samuel Hough, HM Astronomer at the Cape, was chosen President. In 1918, the Johannesburg Astronomical Association was created, with RTA Innes, Union Astronomer, as President. In 1922 it was decided to merge the two Associations to form the Astronomical Society of South Africa after an invitation from the Cape Association. In 1956 the name was amended to become the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa. Membership and publications Membership is open to all interested persons. The Society publishes the on-line peer-reviewed journal ''Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa'' (''MNASSA''). In addition to ''MNASSA'', the annual ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galaxies – in either observational astronomy, observational (by analyzing the data) or theoretical astronomy. Examples of topics or fields astronomers study include planetary science, Sun, solar astronomy, the Star formation, origin or stellar evolution, evolution of stars, or the galaxy formation and evolution, formation of galaxies. A related but distinct subject is physical cosmology, which studies the Universe as a whole. Types Astronomers usually fall under either of two main types: observational astronomy, observational and theoretical astronomy, theoretical. Observational astronomers make direct observations of Astronomical object, celestial objects and analyze the data. In contrast, theoretical astronomers create and investigate C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willem Hendrik Van Den Bos
Willem Hendrik van den Bos (25 September 1896 – 30 March 1974) was a Dutch astronomer who worked at the Union Observatory in South Africa and became its director in 1941. He discovered nearly new double stars, made more than astronomical measurements and compiled a catalogue of Southern hemisphere double stars. He computed the orbits of more than 100 double stars using a method he invented and which later became the accepted standard. Biography Van den Bos was born in Rotterdam in 1896. He studied astronomy at Leiden University and worked at the Leiden Observatory. In 1925 he completed his PhD in astronomy under the supervision of Willem de Sitter and was invited by R.T.A. Innes to join the Union Observatory in Johannesburg for a three-year appointment as assistant to the director, H.E. Wood. Innes was eager to have an experienced observer of double-stars to share the workload on the newly erected telescope. Van den Bos extended his appointment at the Union Observato ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Research Institutes In South Africa
Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to controlling sources of bias and error. These activities are characterized by accounting and controlling for biases. A research project may be an expansion on past work in the field. To test the validity of instruments, procedures, or experiments, research may replicate elements of prior projects or the project as a whole. The primary purposes of basic research (as opposed to applied research) are documentation, discovery, interpretation, and the research and development (R&D) of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge. Approaches to research depend on epistemologies, which vary considerably both within and between humanities and sciences. There are several forms of research: scientific, humanities, artistic, econ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Astronomical Societies
A list of notable groups devoted to promoting astronomy research and education. Africa * African Astronomical Society South Africa *Astronomical Society of Southern Africa Asia China * Chinese Astronomical Society India * Akash Mitra Mandal *Astronomical Society of India *Bangalore Astronomical Society (BAS) *Confederation of Indian Amateur Astronomers * IUCAA * Jyotirvidya Parisanstha *Khagol Mandal * Khagol Vishwa Europe * European Astronomical Society * European Association for Astronomy Education France *Société astronomique de France * Société Française d'Astronomie et d'Astrophysique (SF2A) Germany * Astronomische Gesellschaft Greece *Hellenic Astronomical Society Ireland * Irish Astronomical Society * Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies Italy * Unione Astrofili Italiani Norway *Norwegian Astronomical Society Poland *Polish Astronomical Society Serbia *Astronomical Society Ruđer Bošković Turkey *Spaceturk United Kingdom *Airdrie Astronomical A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern African Large Telescope
The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is a 10-metre class optical telescope designed mainly for spectroscopy. It consists of 91 hexagonal mirror segments each with a 1-metre inscribed diameter, resulting in a total hexagonal mirror of 11.1 by 9.8 m. It is located close to the town of Sutherland in the semi-desert region of the Karoo, South Africa. It is a facility of the South African Astronomical Observatory, the national optical observatory of South Africa. SALT is the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere. It enables imaging, spectroscopic, and polarimetric analysis of the radiation from astronomical objects out of reach of northern hemisphere telescopes. It is closely based on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) at McDonald Observatory, with some changes in its design, especially to the spherical aberration corrector. The main driver for these changes were desired improvements to the telescope's field of view. It shares the same fixed mirror altitude ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South African Astronomical Observatory
South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) is the national centre for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa. It was established in 1972. The observatory is run by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. The facility's function is to conduct research in astronomy and astrophysics. The primary telescopes are located in Sutherland, which is from Observatory, Cape Town, where the headquarters is located. The SAAO has links worldwide for scientific and technological collaboration. Instrumental contributions from the South African Astronomical Observatory include the development of a spherical aberration corrector and the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). The Noon Gun on Cape Town's Signal Hill is fired remotely by a time signal from the Observatory. History The history of the SAAO began when the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope was founded in 1820, the first scientific institution in Africa. Construction of the main buildings was complet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SEDS
Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) is a non-profit international student organization whose purpose is to drive space advocacy of space exploration and development through educational and engineering projects. History Students for the Exploration and Development of Space was founded in 1980 at MIT by Peter Diamandis, Princeton University by Scott Scharfman, and Yale University by Richard Sorkin, and consists of an international group of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students from a diverse range of educational backgrounds who are working to promote space. SEDS is a chapter-based organization with chapters in Canada, India, Israel, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. The permanent National Headquarters for SEDS-USA resides at MIT and that of SEDS-India resides at Vellore Institute of Technology. Though collaboration is frequent, each branch and chapter is in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boyden Observatory
Boyden Observatory is an astronomical research observatory and science education centre located in Maselspoort, north-east of the city of Bloemfontein in Free State, South Africa. The observatory is managed by the Physics Department of the University of the Free State (UFS). The Friends of Boyden assist the observatory as a public support group, organising open evenings and protecting its public interest. Boyden also makes use of members of ASSA Bloemfontein Centre, the amateur astronomy club of the city, for presenters and telescope assistants. History The Boyden Station of Harvard Observatory was founded in 1889 by Harvard University at Mount Harvard near Lima, Peru. It was relocated to Arequipa, Peru in October 1890 ( obs. code: 800). It was named after Uriah A. Boyden, who in 1879 left in his will $238,000 to Harvard Observatory to be used for astronomical purposes. Significant work done at Arequipa include the discovery of Phoebe, an outer moon of Saturn, by Willia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ian Glass
Ian Stewart Glass (born 5 September 1939 in Dublin, Ireland) is an infrared astronomer and scientific historian living in Cape Town, South Africa. Education Glass was educated at Trinity College Dublin where he was a Foundation Scholar. He obtained his B.A. with first class honours in 1961 and was awarded the Hackett Prize for first place in Natural Sciences. He received his PhD in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1968 for work in x-ray astronomy under George W. Clark. Infrared astronomy Since 1970 he has worked in infrared astronomy and instrumentation and he has written the standard textbook on the subject. He worked before 1975 at the Royal Greenwich Observatory and thereafter at the South African Astronomical Observatory. He is the author or co-author of over 220 scientific papers in journals and conference proceedings and has been cited nearly 10000 times with h-index=56. With Tom Lloyd Evans, he discovered the period-luminosity relation fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Stanley Evans
David Stanley Evans (28 January 1916 – 14 November 2004) was a British astronomer, noted for his use of lunar occultations to measure stellar angular diameters during the 1950s. Early life and education Evans was born in Cardiff, Wales on 28 January 1916. He was first educated at the Cardiff High School for Boys. He obtained a First Class in the Mathematics Tripos Part II in 1936 and a Distinction in Part III in 1937 from King's College, Cambridge and became a Ph.D. student at Cambridge Observatory in 1937, where he was a student of Sir Arthur Eddington. His Ph.D. degree was awarded in 1941 for a dissertation on “The Formation of the Balmer Series of Hydrogen in Stellar Atmospheres.” Being a conscientious objector to World War II he spent the war years at Oxford with physicist Kurt Mendelssohn where they worked on medical problems relating to the war effort. Over this period he was scientific editor of ''Discovery'' and editor of ''The Observatory''. Career South Africa Eva ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michiel Daniel Overbeek
Michiel Daniel Overbeek (15 September 1920 in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, South Africa – 19 July 2001 in Johannesburg), also known as Danie Overbeek, was a South African amateur astronomer and one of the most prolific variable star observers. Life He studied in a Mining and Metallurgy program at the University of the Witwatersrand. During the Second World War he served in the South African Air Force and was awarded the Africa Star and mentioned in Dispatches. After the war he worked for South African Airways and South African Railways. In 1945 he married Jean Mary Preddy, with whom he had four children. She died in 1985. Astronomy Daniel Overbeek's serious interest in astronomy dates back to 1951, when he started observing occultations and variable stars. In 1958 he earned a B.Sc. degree in mathematics and astronomy from the University of South Africa. In his life he contributed 287,240 observations to the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) International Database, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael William Feast
Michael William Feast (29 December 1926 – 1 April 2019) was a British-South African astronomer. He served as Director of the South African Astronomical Observatory from 1976–1992, then became a professor at the University of Cape Town. His research focussed on the structure of the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds, and the cosmic distance ladder using variable stars. Career and honours Feast holds the degrees of BSc (Hons) and PhD from London From 1949 to 1951 he worked with Gerhard Herzberg at the National Research Council in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, following which from 1952 to 1974 he was at the Radcliffe Observatory, Pretoria He was also director of the South African Astronomical Observatory from 1976 to 1992. He received the DeBeers Medal from the South African Institute of Physics in 1992 and the Gill Medal from the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa in 1983. Feast was an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, Fellow of the Royal Society of South Afri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
