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SALT: South Africa’s giant leap into the stratosphere of technology!

Friday, December 23, 2005 at 11:43 AM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

The South African Large Telescope (SALT) Observatory

Despite all of the good things happening in Africa these days, media reports invariably focus on the blights of famine, disease, corruption and violence. Therefore, I take great pride in sharing news of a recent event which marked a stellar achievement for Africa by universal standards.

The event was the 10 November inauguration of the SALT by a superstar amongst world leaders – President Thabo Mbeki. The SALT is the “largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere” and was built by an international consortium of universities and government agencies lead by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. And, its intergalactic window to the night skies of this hemisphere should inspire pilgrimages to South Africa by star gazers and star trekkers from all over the world to experience unprecedented forays back and forth throughout space and time.

Indeed, the truly remarkable feat of the SALT is that, from its position on earth (in the Northern Cape), it gives us a direct view of celestial images and formations that rival the wonder and majesty of anything the Hubble space telescope beams back to us from its satellite perch orbiting the earth. [See samplings below] For the more astronomically inclined, however, President Mbeki himself assures that the SALT will answer such fundamental questions as:

What was the universe like when the first stars and galaxies were forming? [Indeed, the origin of the universe]
What kind of worlds orbits other suns?
How are the stars in nearby galaxies different from those in the solar neighbourhood?
What can these stars tell us about the scale and age of the universe?
How do quasars and gamma rays outshine trillions of stars like the sun?

The SALT clearly demonstrates the world-class ingenuity and capability of South African scientists. And, it shall stand as a beacon and serve as a clarion call for children all over Africa to pursue an education in science and engineering.

Therefore, here’s to South Africa for taking this giant leap forward that is as significant in mankind’s quest to discover stars and galaxies beyond the Milky Way as man’s first step on the moon. (In fact, the digital SALTICAM is so powerful that it “can detect objects as faint as a candle flame [and certainly that languishing American flag] on the moon.”)

So, for your pilgrimage to experience this earth-bound intergalactic travel, click here to book now!

Note: In addition to visiting the SALT observatory, I recommend exploring the new Cradle of Humankind Interpretation Centre attached to the renowned Cradle of Humanity World Heritage Site at Sterkfontein. Because world-renowned anthropologists have declared that:The Centre will facilitate access to knowledge about the evolution of humanity from its distant past, relying on hominid fossils found in the irreplaceable Valley of Ancestors centred on the Sterkfontein caves. Several of the world’s most famous and important hominid fossils have been discovered here, including Mrs Ples (now believed to be Master Ples), dating back 2.5 million years, and Little Foot, an almost complete ape-human skeleton that is 3.3 million years old.

Bon voyage!

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