South Africa inaugurates largest telescope in southern hemisphere

South Africa was due to unveil the largest single telescope in the southern hemisphere today at a ceremony attended by President Thabo Mbeki and scientists from around the world.

The Southern Africa Large Telescope (SALT) is situated near the town of Sutherland in the bleak Karoo desert.

It can gather more than 25 times as much light as any existing telescope in Africa, enabling it to detect a candle flame as far away as the moon.

The science programmes to be conducted on SALT will range from studies of the most distant and faint galaxies to observations of solar system objects such as asteroids and comets.

This will be facilitated by the telescope’s powerful primary mirror array, which is 33 feet in diameter.