The MeerKAT First Light image of the sky, released by Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, shows unambiguously that MeerKAT is the best radio telescope of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Array Release 1 consists of 16 of an eventual 64 dishes. It is the first significant scientific milestone achieved by MeerKAT […]
After an almost five-year journey to the solar system’s largest planet, NASA’s Juno spacecraft successfully entered Jupiter’s orbit during a 35-minute engine burn. Confirmation that the burn had completed was received on Earth on 5 July at 8:53 am (SA time). NASA administrator Charlie Bolden said the Juno NASA mission went boldly where no […]
Fireworks shows are not just confined to Earth’s skies. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured a spectacular fireworks display in a small, nearby galaxy. A firestorm of star birth is lighting up one end of the diminutive galaxy Kiso 5639. The dwarf galaxy is shaped like a flattened pancake, but because it is tilted […]
Using combined data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers have found the best evidence yet for cosmic seeds in the early universe that should grow into supermassive black holes. “Our discovery, if confirmed, explains how these monster black holes were born,” said Fabio Pacucci of Scuola […]
The Sutherland-based robotic telescope, Kilodegree extremely little telescope (KELT)-South, spotted an extrasolar planet, KELT-10b, during its routine observations. KELT-South is dedicated to the search of transiting planets orbiting especially bright stars. Astronomers refer to these planets as “hot Jupiters” because of their composition and mass. They are gas giants similar to the planet Jupiter, except […]
When a SpaceX Falcon rocket flew itself back to its Florida launch site last December, the feat was hailed as a key step in Elon Musk’s quest to develop an inexpensive, reliable reusable rocket. But that was only half the story. On Friday 8 April a more challenging and potentially revolutionary step was accomplished […]
Africa can now rely on the services of a satellite constellation tailored for the continent to provide reliable data for a wide range of essential human activities and the protection of the environment. The constellation which combines the services of ten satellites with the capability of covering any part of the continent at least once […]
The first of two joint ESA–Roscosmos missions to Mars began on 14 March 2016 on a seven-month journey to the Red Planet, where it will address unsolved mysteries of the planet’s atmosphere that could indicate present-day geological – or even biological – activity. The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing […]
2018 will see another giant telescope venture into Space to study the solar system, enabling scientists understand more about its formation and how Earth became capable of supporting life. Named the James Webb Space Telescope, it will look across vast distances to find the earliest stars and galaxies and study the atmospheres of mysterious […]
