African Planetarium Association
APA is an affiliate of the International Planetarium Association (IPS), working under the umbrella of the African Astronomical Society (AfAS). It has been created to become a network of planetaria and their development across Africa. APA would therefore become the link between the planetaria in Africa with those in the rest of the world. APA was launched at the Iziko museum and Digital Dome in Cape Town in March 2019, alongside the re-launch of the African Astronomical Society.
Africa-Europe Science Collaboration and Innovation Platform
The Africa-Europe Science Collaboration and Innovation Platform (AERAP) is a stakeholder forum convened to define priorities for science and innovation cooperation between Africa and Europe. It provides a framework for stakeholders from industry and academia to define research action plans across a wide range of technological areas that will be essential for addressing common challenges and the future. This framework will enable major research and technological advances that will drive socioeconomic development and competitiveness in both Africa and Europe.
AERAP is structured around a network of key stakeholders who come together in regular meetings to work on developing and updating agendas for radio astronomy cooperation. These agendas are developed through dialogue with industry, research institutes, and the public sector from across EU Member States and African nations, and they aim at better aligning priorities across a range of scientific themes with those of researchers and industry representatives.
The overall goals of the platform are to strengthen research and innovation in Europe and Africa, improve knowledge transfer, and stimulate competitiveness across both continents.
AERAP responds to the European Parliament Written Declaration 45 on Science Capacity Building in Africa. This call was repeated by the Heads of State of the African Union through their Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.407 CXVIII. AERAP encourages policymakers to understand the need for an enabling policy and regulatory environment for science cooperation with Africa and championing leadership in both Africa and Europe to demonstrate science’s contribution to society.
The South African Astronomical Observatory is a National Research Foundation facility that is a national centre for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa. Its primary role is to conduct fundamental research in astronomy and astrophysics by providing a world-class facility to scientists. The SAAO also promotes astronomy and astrophysics in southern Africa by sharing research findings and discoveries, and participating in outreach activities to enthuse citizens about physics and astronomy.
The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), a facility of the National Research Foundation, is responsible for managing all radio astronomy initiatives and facilities in South Africa, including the MeerKAT Radio Telescope in the Karoo, and the Geodesy and VLBI activities at the HartRAO facility. SARAO also coordinates the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (AVN) for the eight SKA partner countries in Africa, as well as South Africa’s contribution to the infrastructure and engineering planning for the Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope. To maximise the return on South Africa’s investment in radio astronomy, SARAO is managing programmes to create capacity in radio astronomy science and engineering research, and the technical capacity required to support site operations.
The Inter-university Institute for Data-Intensive Astronomy is a partnership of three South African universities: the University of Cape Town, the University of the Western Cape, and the University of Pretoria. The overarching goal of IDIA is to build within the South African university research community the capacity and expertise in data-intensive research to enable global leadership on MeerKAT large survey science projects and large projects on other SKA pathfinder telescopes.
Project PANOPTES
A citizen science project that aims to make it easy for anyone to build a low-cost, robotic telescope that can be used to detect transiting exoplanets.
Breakthrough Listen
Breakthrough Listen is the largest ever scientific research program aimed at finding evidence of civilizations beyond Earth. The scope and power of the search are on an unprecedented scale: The program includes a survey of the 1,000,000 closest stars to Earth. It scans the center of our galaxy and the entire galactic plane. Beyond the Milky Way, it listens for messages from the 100 closest galaxies to ours.
The instruments used are among the world’s most powerful. They are 50 times more sensitive than existing telescopes dedicated to the search for intelligence. The radio surveys cover 10 times more of the sky than previous programs. They also cover at least 5 times more of the radio spectrum – and do it 100 times faster. They are sensitive enough to hear a common aircraft radar transmitting to us from any of the 1000 nearest stars.
We are also carrying out the deepest and broadest ever search for optical laser transmissions. These spectroscopic searches are 1000 times more effective at finding laser signals than ordinary visible light surveys. They could detect a 100-watt laser (the energy of a normal household bulb) from 25 trillion miles away.
Listen combines these instruments with innovative software and data analysis techniques. The initiative will span 10 years and commit a total of $100,000,000.
IAU-Office of Astronomy for Development
The IAU established the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) in partnership with the South African National Research Foundation (NRF), supported by the South African Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI). The OAD aims to help further the use of astronomy, including its practitioners, skills and infrastructures, as a tool for development.
BlueShift
BLUEshift Africa is a project designed to strengthen undergraduate astronomy teaching in Africa. The project is funded by a Venture Grant from the American Institute of Physics (AIP) through the American Astronomical Society (AAS), titled “Developing astronomy teaching capacity for university educators in Africa.” BLUEshift Africa activities are held in partnership with the African Astronomical Society (AfAS). The project comprises a pilot study about undergraduate astronomy teaching around the African continent (2025), two-day workshops on undergraduate astronomy teaching for early-career African scientists (2025 and 2026), online communities of teaching for workshop participants (2025 and 2026), and a panel discussion for AfAS and AAS members. The project is led by Dr. Linda Strubbe. Read more in the AfAS Newsletter (p15-17), APS African Physics Newsletter and AAS website.
The American Astronomical Society is a major international organization of professional astronomers, astronomy educators, and amateur astronomers. The AAS was established in 1899 and is based in Washington, DC. Our membership of about 8,200 individuals also includes physicists, mathematicians, geologists, engineers, and others whose research and educational interests lie within the broad spectrum of subjects now comprising the astronomical sciences.
The European Astronomical Society (EAS) promotes and advances astronomy in Europe. As an independent body, the EAS is able to act on matters that need to be handled at a European level on behalf of the European astronomical community. In its endeavours, the EAS collaborates with affiliated national astronomical societies and also with pan-European research organisations and networks.
Founded in 1990, the EAS is a society of individual members. All astronomers may join the society, irrespective of their field of research, or their country of work or origin. In addition, corporations, publishers and non-profit organisations can become organisational members of the EAS.
The SKA Observatory (SKAO) is an intergovernmental organisation bringing together nations from around the world. Its mission is to build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes to transform our understanding of the Universe, and deliver benefits to society through global collaboration and innovation.
The observatory has a global footprint and consists of the SKAO Global Headquarters in the UK, the SKAO’s two telescopes at radio-quiet sites in South Africa and Australia, and associated facilities to support the operations of the telescopes. The SKAO is a next-generation radio astronomy-driven Big Data facility that will revolutionise our understanding of the Universe and the laws of fundamental physics. Enabled by cutting-edge technology, it promises to have a major impact on society, in science and beyond.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) was founded in 1919. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. Its individual Members — structured into Divisions, Commissions, and Working Groups — are professional astronomers from all over the world, at the PhD level and beyond, who are active in professional research, education and outreach in astronomy. The IAU also has Junior Members. The IAU has a total membership of 12742. The Individual and Junior Members Directory contains 12377 names in 92 countries worldwide. These Members are labelled as “active” in the IAU database, meaning they have a valid email (are able to vote and stay connected to the IAU activities) and are affiliated with at least one Division. IAU membership spans 92 countries. Out of those countries, 85 are National Members. In addition, the IAU collaborates with various scientific organizations all over the world.
Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy (DARA) is a joint UK-South African development project, which aims to develop high-tech skills using radio astronomy in a number of African partner countries – Ghana, Kenya, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Madagascar, Mozambique and Mauritius. DARA grew out of the understanding that radio astronomy encompasses all of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills that underpin the emergence of a strong, developed economy. The project aims to train a new and diverse generation of young people to engage with these skills and play a leading role in developing self-sustaining space-sector hubs in their home countries. DARA has been developing collaborations and training programs since 2015, and we are starting a new round of training opportunities for 2024-2027, funded by the UK’s International Science Partnership Fund via STFC.
ASSAP is an initiative aimed at producing a regular astronomy publication in Africa. It is built upon the success and the model of the Science Stars magazine, which is a South African initiative that promotes public awareness of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to young people, adults and stakeholders, particularly in rural and township communities.
The concept of the African Science Stars magazine emerged to undertake an African-wide initiative, building on the success of the Science Stars project and expanding it on a continental scale in Africa using Astronomy as a tool for science awareness.
This project is funded under the umbrella of the African Astronomical Society (AfAS)