SANSA Space Science, previously the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO) is
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
's national
geomagnetic
Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from Earth's interior out into space, where it interacts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun. The magnetic fi ...
research facility. The observatory is situated in the town of
Hermanus
Hermanus (originally called ''Hermanuspietersfontein'', but shortened in 1902 as the name was too long for the postal service (
Overstrand Local Municipality
Overstrand Municipality is a local municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is located along the Atlantic coast between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas, within the Overberg District Municipality. The principal towns in the municipa ...
) in the
Western Cape Province
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...
and forms part of the
South African National Space Agency
The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) is South Africa's government agency responsible for the promotion and development of aeronautics and aerospace space research. It fosters cooperation in space-related activities and research in sp ...
.
The observatory is an active participant in the
International Real-time Magnetic Observatory Network, one of a large number
magnetic observatories which monitor and model variations of the Earth's magnetic field.
The HMO consists of four operational groups:
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Space Physics Space physics, also known as solar-terrestrial physics or space-plasma physics, is the study of plasmas as they occur naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere (aeronomy) and within the Solar System. As such, it encompasses a far-ranging number of ...
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Geomagnetism
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Technology
Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...
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Science Outreach
Science outreach, also called Education and Public Outreach (EPO or E/PO) or simply public outreach, is an umbrella term for a variety of activities by research institutes, universities, and institutions such as science museums, aimed at promoting ...
Since 1957 the observatory has been operating
neutron monitor A neutron monitor is a ground-based detector designed to measure the number of high-energy charged particles striking the Earth's atmosphere from outer space. For historical reasons the incoming particles are called "cosmic rays", but in fact they a ...
s. Currently this is being done on behalf of the
North-West University
af , Noordwes-Universiteit
, image = https://www.nwu.ac.za/sites/www.nwu.ac.za/files/NWU-Logo-SW.png
, motto = ''Dit Begin Alles Hier (Afrikaans)''
''Gotlhe Go Simolola Fano (Setswana)''
, mottoeng ...
and consists of 12
Chalk River
Chalk River (2016 population: 1029) is a small rural village, part of the Laurentian Hills municipality in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Upper Ottawa Valley along Highway 17 (Trans-Canada Highway), inland (west) from ...
neutron counter tubes.
See also
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Earth's magnetic field
Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from Earth's interior out into space, where it interacts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun. The magnetic f ...
References
External links
SANSA Space Science Website
Space science organizations
Space program of South Africa
Overstrand Local Municipality
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