SOUTH AFRICAN ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY - SAAO

The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) is located on the same site as the SALT Observatory and shares the same activities and services (guided tours, open houses and observation evenings). On the other hand, it is much older and rich in a much more significant past... Its history really began on October 20, 1820 when England decided to have an observatory built on the Cape of Good Hope, thus becoming the first permanent modern observatory in Africa! Its construction is very complicated due to logistical problems and the choice of sites likely to host it, some of which are affected by sand and dust storms or persistent fog. Years passed between problems and procrastination, and it was in 1825 that its construction began and was completed a few years later. The observatory is then mainly used to draw up star catalogues and to measure their positions with the best precision, for obvious astronomical navigation purposes. The Royal Cape Observatory, as it is called, later became a pioneer in the field of astronomical photography. He is credited with a famous image of the great comet of 1882 immortalized by the Scottish astronomer David Gill, then director of the observatory. This one will moreover considerably develop the site, improve working conditions and instrumentation, so that in 1907 the observatory is considered the best in the southern hemisphere! Over time, the modernization of observation and photography techniques and the increase in light pollution made its existence a thorny problem that was solved in 1972 when it was brought together with the Observatoire de la République (also known as the Observatoire de l'Union), located in Johannesburg. However, the headquarters remain in the former buildings of the observatory in Cape Town, but the three most modern and efficient telescopes are located much further away in the Kalahari Desert near the city of Sutherland, in a site of exceptional quality. It should also be noted that the British Minister of Science made the trip at that time for its inauguration. Since 1972, the SAAO has contributed to our understanding of the nature and life cycle of stars and galaxies. Combined with the SALT dome in the same location, the SAAO domes look great and represent a coherent and, to be honest, quite impressive scientific ensemble when first discovered, especially at sunset during night visits.