Minister Blade Nzimande officially opens 32nd International Astronomical Union General Assembly

The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande, officially opened the 32nd International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly in Cape Town last night. The Minister addressed 2 000 delegates from the global astronomy community.

The meeting, held every three years, is an opportunity for astronomers to address key topics in contemporary astronomy and assess the latest scientific progress in various specialised areas.

This year’s general assembly, under the theme “It’s Time for Africa – Ke Nako”, will highlight the continent’s growing role in the global astronomical community and its contributions to global astronomical research and development, as well as its potential for future contributions.

Africa is home to some of the world’s oldest astronomical achievements. Astronomy in Africa began at least 7 000 years ago, with a stone circle known as Nabta Playa in Egypt that predates Stonehenge by 2 000 years.

IAU President, Prof. Debra Elmegreen, in her address to the gathering, emphasised that astronomy was rooted in all cultures and invited broad thoughts about our place in the universe and on our fragile Earth.

“We celebrate the rich history of astronomy in Africa as we present our research, initiate new collaborations, enjoy networking, share astronomy with the public, and explore the local beauty. August is designated as Africa Astronomy Month, an appropriate cap to the Vision 2024 efforts that have united Africans in their preparations to share astronomy with the world,” said Elmegreen.

Over two centuries ago, international observational survey work was led by astronomers in Cape Town and this work continues to the present day under the South African Astronomical Observatory.

Among many other telescopes in Africa, Prof. Elmegreen mentioned the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) gamma ray telescope in Namibia, as well as the Southern African Large Telescope (the largest optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere), the MeerKAT radio astronomy array, and the KELT-South and SuperWASP-South telescopes, all of which are located in South Africa.

Minister Nzimande spoke about how Africa’s rich astronomy history continues to inspire, and the role of indigenous astronomy in South Africa’s astronomy programmes. He praised the conference organisers for Cosmic Echoes, a Shared Sky indigenous art exhibition.

The Minister highlighted the trailblazing radio astronomy work that began in South Africa in Hartebeeshoek in 1961, in a partnership with NASA.

“Radio astronomy began in South Africa with a 26-metre dish built by NASA and placed in Hartebeesthoek in 1961 as a deep-space ground station used to get data from, and send commands to, many unmanned US space probes going beyond the Earth’s orbit. This was later converted into a radio telescope that led to the establishment of the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomical Observatory, which is now part of the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory.

“During the democratic era, the MeerKAT was built in Carnarvon as a precursor to the SKA project. The MeerKAT is another amazing achievement on the global science stage, and we wish to thank our international partners, Germany, Italy and China for their contribution to this project.

“We also have a growing gamma-ray astronomy community that actively participates in the HESS initiative,” said the Minister.

He added that these strategic interventions had enabled the exponential growth of South African astronomers from 60 (only five of whom were radio astronomers) to about 300 over the last 30 years.

The Minister highlighted that the MeerKAT/SKA project, in particular, offered South Africa an opportunity to contribute to the knowledge economy and the big data revolution through international collaborations and the pursuit of world-class research, driving transformation and human capital development.

The Minister thanked the IAU for giving South Africa the opportunity to host the prestigious IAU General Assembly.

“This gathering reflects the global astronomy community’s commitment to advancing research, fostering collaboration, and addressing contemporary challenges in astronomy and those faced by humanity,” concluded the Minister.

The IAU conference runs until 14 August 2024.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Government.