South African Astronomical Observatory
South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) is the national centre for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa. It was established in 1972. The observatory is run by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. The facility's function is to conduct research in astronomy and astrophysics. The primary telescopes are located in Sutherland, which is 370 kilometres (230 mi) from Observatory, Cape Town, where the headquarters is located.
The Sutherland site of the South African Astronomical Observatory. With the Southern African Large Telescope | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Alternative names | SAAO | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Organization | National Research Foundation of South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Observatory code | 51, B31, A60, L66 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Headquarters in Observatory, Cape Town Major telescopes in Sutherland, Northern Cape | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | Headquarters: 33.9347°S 18.4776°E Sutherland: 32.3783°S 20.8105°E | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Website | saao | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Telescopes | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Location of South African Astronomical Observatory | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The SAAO has links worldwide for scientific and technological collaboration. Instrumental contributions from the South African Astronomical Observatory include the development of a spherical aberration corrector and the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT).
The Noon Gun on Cape Town's Signal Hill is fired remotely by a time signal from the Observatory.