THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN LARGE TELESCOPE - SALT

The "Large South African Telescope" (SALT) is simply the largest optical telescope in the world with an 11-metre diameter main mirror made up of 91 hexagonal mirrors about 1 metre in diameter each! It is located at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), about ten kilometres east of the small town of Sutherland, in the Northern Cape Province, about 400 km from Cape Town. It is funded by a consortium of international partners from South Africa, the United States, Germany, Poland, India, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. This particularly impressive telescope has been in operation since the mid-2000s. The Kalahari desert where it is located, as well as its respectable altitude, 1,783 m, make it one of the observatories with a high level of sky on a global scale. However, the site is not new since the early 1970s as telescopes have been installed there, an installation motivated by the fine weather (semi-desert climate) and the absence of parasitic lights. To visit it, it is imperative to book in advance. Several "tours" are thus proposed... First of all, during the day, in the form of full guided tours or more basic tours. The first ones allow you to admire the main telescope SALT, and take place from Monday to Saturday at 10:30 am and 2:30 pm. The second visits are free, from the visitor center to the giant SALT telescope. They are offered every hour on Saturdays and public holidays from 8am to 3pm. In the evening, the visits mainly include observations of the starry sky (preferably scheduled for a moonless night) through two dedicated telescopes, 355 and 406 mm in diameter! They take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. These observations are most of the time quite fantastic considering the quality of the Kalahari sky (unforgettable memories in perspective!). Of course, they can be cancelled depending on the weather conditions (they are then replaced by other activities). It should be noted, however, that in the evening it is logically impossible to visit the domes and their corresponding telescope (astronomers work!). In addition, it is important to show white paws and not to use white lamps that are too virulent.