Gigantic galaxies discovered with the MeerKAT telescope Two giant radio galaxies have been discovered with South Africa’s powerful MeerKAT telescope. These galaxies are amongst the largest single objects in the Universe and are thought to be quite rare. The fact that MeerKAT detected two of these monsters in a relatively small patch of sky suggests […]
Covered in this issue: AfAS Support of the OAD Extraordinary Call for COVID-19 related Proposals Reports from campaigns, meetings and events (Annular Solar Eclipse 2020, Postponement of AfAS 2020, WAISSYA, Transit of Mercury, Astronomy in Africa science business meeting, IAUS 356 in Ethiopia, etc.). Announcements and updates from the Science and Outreach Sub-committees The AfAS Seed Research Grant call. Save-the-date […]
The African Astronomical Society (AfAS) is a pan-African professional society of astronomers, with multiple committees set up to implement its objectives. The Outreach Committee is tasked with enhancing the interest in astronomy amongst the public and facilitating the development of outreach practitioners across Africa. The Outreach Committee currently has 6 members, listed later in this […]
The Outreach Committee is setting up Working Groups on key areas of interest. Each of these groups have a definite focus, with members with expertise as well as passion in those areas. These groups will provide valuable service to the community and will be expanded as needed. WG on Affordable Mobile Planetaria This WG is […]
Since 2013, WAISSYA has been organising week-long astronomy workshops for undergraduate and post-graduate students and teachers. The workshop, facilitated by an international team of instructors bringing a wealth of experience in different fields, offers African science students the opportunity to inspire their scientific curiosity and interest in astronomy. Before now, WAISSYA has had a West […]
05 April 2020 AfAS – One Year On Renewed Commitment and Extended Mission in a World in Crisis Dear Colleagues and Fellow Astronomers Just over three weeks ago, the AfAS Executive Committee took a difficult decision to defer its first annual scientific conference (AfAS2020), which would have been held in Cape Town from 16-19th March […]
Due to the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) the Executive Committee (EC) of the African Astronomical Society (AfAS) has made the decision to postpone the inaugural conference of the African Astronomical Society (AfAS2020), initially schedule for the 16-19th of March 2020. This difficult decision of the EC to postpone the holding of the AfAS2020 […]
Covered in this issue: Announcement on AfAS membership: “Applications for AfAS Membership are now open “ Save the date: Conference of the African Astronomical Society – AfAS 2020 (16 – 19 March 2020, SAAO, Cape Town) Announcement: Establishment of AfAS sub-committees Information on the AfAS Astronomy in Africa Science Business Meeting: Ethiopia, Addis Ababa 10 […]
OAD/DARA Big Data Fellowship (1 Year Contract) The Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) was established through a partnership between the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the South African National Research Foundation (NRF). The OAD is based at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Cape Town, South Africa, and aims to utilize the skills, […]