News

Come join us in celebrating Africa and Astronomy in Africa this Africa Day on 25 May! #AfricaLookUp #AfricaDay As we celebrate Africa Day on the 25th of May, let us use this day to reflect on and appreciate the remarkable achievements made by the nations and individuals on this African continent. We should recognise that these … Read more

The African Astronomical Society’s third annual conference took place in Johannesburg, South Africa at the University of the Witwatersrand Origins Center from 13 – 17 March 2023. This meeting is especially important for the African community as it provides an opportunity for astronomers across Africa and around the world to engage, network, and reconnect. On … Read more

Efforts are underway as we gear up for the International Astronomical Union’s General Assembly 2024 meeting. Our Ambassador and University of Cape Town (UCT) student, Venu Prayag, organized a Full Moon Hike which was held on Tuesday, 7 March 2023. Although the weather threatened to spoil this exciting event, we were, fortunately, able to proceed … Read more

Join us at Special Session 1 of the European Astronomical Society meeting, from 10 – 14 July 2023 in Krakow, Poland. Submit your abstract by 1 March 2023, as we build science, training and development collaborations towards 2024 and beyond. Key topics of discussion during the Special Session include: Science and infrastructure developments to foster … Read more

It’s with deep sadness that we inform our community of the death of our beloved colleague and friend, Prof. Carolina Odman, on 15 November 2022 after a brave and extended battle with cancer. Carolina was co-chair of the NOC Outreach, Communication and Education committee until earlier this year, but her influence in our work ranged … Read more

In preparation for the IAU-GA2024, it is essential to bring together the African astronomical community to discuss how the continent can maximally benefit from the opportunity of hosting this event, as well as follow up on discussions from previous meetings on how best to facilitate participation by countries in Africa. The 2022 Forum on Astronomy … Read more

As we prepare Team Africa to join the XXXI IAU General Assembly in Busan, South Korea, we are calling for input and content to populate our stand and excite the world of Astronomy to come to Cape Town in 2024.

The African Astronomical Society is organising a public webinar on the recently released image of the black hole in the centre of our Galaxy by the Event Horizon Telescope. This epochal image was everywhere in the media and all of us would like to know more about it, and what it represents. This webinar on the … Read more

Description: The Physics group at the Mahikeng Campus of the North-West University has an astrophysics postgraduate programme. One of the research topics is stellar physics with emphasis on stellar pulsations. The group also runs a small university observatory where the main instrument is a 16-inch Meade Telescope with fast and cooled CCD cameras. Also available … Read more

Sixth Oukaimeden International School for Astrophysics (OISA) will take place in Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco from Friday, July 1 to Thursday, July 7, 2022. OISA is the Laboratory of High EnergyPhysics and Astrophysics (LPHEA) and the Oukaimeden Observatory propose a thematic doctoral school. This edition will be organizein the framework of VIRL-UOS project, a … Read more

The ORION Astro Lab project (training for club leaders in astronomy) is running lectures (in French) from 12 to 14 May 2022.

We extend our congratulations to the newly elected committee and look forward to our close partnership in realising the African vision of the IAU GA in 2024. Prof. Thebe Rodney Medupe is a professor of Astronomy at the North-West University, South Africa. He obtained his PhD in Astronomy from the University of Cape Town in … Read more

Applications are invited from African nationals for scholarships in the fields of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Planetary Geology and Remote Sensing. The 2nd PAPSSN Call offers the following scholarships: TARGET GROUP 1 [Applicants from or graduated at one of the partner Universities] 1x MSc Credit Seeking* (6 months) to Copperbelt University (CBU), Zambia1x MSc … Read more

The organising committee of the IAU General Assembly 2024 has today, at a special session of the African Astronomical Society meeting, launched a call for proposals for actions towards realising Vision 2024. Proposals are invited for grants up to ZAR20,000. Deadline 15th April 2022. Please submit a proposal even if you are not requesting any funding as this … Read more

The special session builds on the progress made at the Forum on Astronomy in Africa in October 2021. The programme is as follows: 15:15 Welcome & overview15:25 Update from Science Committee15:30 Update from Africa Committee15:35 Update from Outreach Committee15:40 Call for proposals to implement Vision 202415:50 Discussion16:10  Meeting summary16:15 Close How to join the session: Gearing up for the GA in 2024Wednesday 16 … Read more

Cape Town – 2 March 2022 Two exceptional women in science are being recognised by the inaugural awards of the African Network of Women in Astronomy. The early career award goes to Dr. Marie Korsaga, Burkina Faso’s first woman astronomer and the senior award goes to Prof. Renée Kraan-Korteweg from South Africa. The awards, worth … Read more

JWST stands for James Webb Space Telescope. This is the new generation telescope that will overtake the Hubble Space Telescope after over 30 years of incredible astronomical images and science. The JWST is due to launch on 22 December this year, and a lot is at stake. To learn more about this feat of science … Read more

The moon will pass in front of the sun, covering it on 4 December 2021. It will be visible partially from the Southernmost parts of the continent. For more information and instructions on when and how to observe this partial solar eclipse safely, see the poster below. Enjoy the event and if you would like … Read more

Science Stars is pleased to announce the availability of the second issue of its quarterly African Science Stars magazine. Physical copies of the magazine are currently being distributed whilst the full magazine can also be downloaded online in PDF format. Acknowledging the rise of Astronomy in Africa this latest issue delves deep into African Science … Read more

(in alphabetical order by name – total of 430 registered participants – visualize the distribution on map below list) Name Institution Country Abbas Endisha Misurata university Libya Abdelhafid Bani Naec morocco Morocco Abdoulaye Ba Ba Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar Sénégal ABDU ALI AMEDE Woldia University Ethiopia Abhijeet  Bhardwaj American Physics Society India Aboulahris … Read more

Scientia Magazine features a rich issue about Astronomy in Africa and the African Astronomical Society. They interview the President, Prof. Jamal Mimouni and describe a lot of astronomy activities taking place on our continent. From Research to Outreach and efforts to strengthen women’s participation, all sources of inspiration for the present and the future of … Read more

On the evening of August 24, a bright object traveling fast in the upper atmosphere had thousands of people mesmerised. It was spotted by many in the Gauteng province of South Africa but was visible further North into Limpopo and Zimbabwe. At first we didn’t know what it was. ☄️BREAKING: SA Astronomical Observatory confirms large … Read more

The community is growing, and we are glad to welcome a new member to the professional astronomy community in Africa. Marc Yao, from the Ivory Coast is about to graduate with his OhD in Astrophysics from the University of the Western Cape. The University is celebrating along with Marc. Congratulations! Rad the full article on … Read more

African science has a long history – just like the Calcium Copper Silicate also known as Egyptian Blue that was used as a blue pigment, discovered and chemically synthesised by ancient Egyptians from about 4600 years ago. That blue pigment was used, among other things, to give colour to the ancient goddess Nut, who represented … Read more

Africa is celebrating Asteroid Day with a series of events starting on June 30th. Join us in the celebration from wherever you are! Thanks for our colleagues from AfAS who have compiled this list. BENIN Sirius Astro-Club, Benin will organise its first event at the University of Abomey-Calavi on 30 Junehttps://www.facebook.com/Sirius-Astro-Club-Bénin-104882745154428/ BOTSWANA Astronomical Society of … Read more

The International Astronomical Union recently held its elections for members to lead the various scientific bodies organised as divisions and commissions. Drs Lucia Marchetti and Carolina Odman, both members of the Education, Outreach and Communications Sub-Committee were elected to Division J “Galaxies and Cosmology” and Commission C2 “Communicating Astronomy to the Public”. We congratulate them … Read more

Quoted from the African Astronomical Society: We recently learned, with great sadness, that Prof Habatwa Mweene passed away. He succumbed to COVID-19 on 21 June 2021. This is a tremendous loss for the community and he will be remembered for his contributions to the development of the fields of Physics and Astronomy in Zambia and … Read more

Africa-Europe Science and Innovation Summit 14 – 18 June 2021: AfAS-IAU-OAD session on Africa-EU Astronomy Collaborations: “Towards the First IAU-General Assembly on the African Continent in 2024, and Beyond” taking place on 16 June 2021 (9:00am – 11:00am CAT/CEST) The Africa-Europe Science and Innovation Summit will be held virtually from June 14 to June 18, … Read more

The International Astronomical Union, which has been in existence for over 100 years, is the world’s largest body of professional astronomers. Every three years it holds a General Assembly, bringing together astronomers from around the world. This meeting will take place for the first time on the African continent in 2024. Cape Town has been … Read more

25 May 2021 – Dear colleagues and friends Africa day – an opportunity to imagine! We are three short years away from Africa hosting the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in 2024. This meeting, arguably one of the biggest on the astronomy conference calendar, will draw the attention of the global astronomy community … Read more

Cape Town, 26 May 2021 — The African Astronomical Society (AfAS) and the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) have signed a five-year partnership Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that sees the two collaborating towards bringing together complementary resources, networks and expertise to advance development through astronomy throughout the African Continent. “We are pleased to formalise an existing … Read more

In this great interview, Dr. Takalana, who also coordinates the African Astronomical Society Secretariat, shares his passion for the stars and the spirit of inquiry that has drive him to reach a PhD in Astronomy. He, like so many in his position, is working very hard at spreading the benefits of astronomy to the people. … Read more

Our colleague Vanessa McBride has written an Article in The Conversation Africa about the budgetary pressures that curiosity-driven science is facing while governments attempt to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. While she laments the shortening of resources, she also celebrates the many ways in which scientists – and astronomers – have proven agile and adapted their … Read more

25 May is celebrated as Africa Day every year. There will be a lunar eclipse on 26 May this year, which cannot be seen from Africa, but – the whole world share the same sky, right? And as Africans we have always had a special relationship with the Moon. Therefore, we want to use the Moon … Read more

28 June 2021 to 2 July 2021 Free online workshop presented by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), in collaboration with the Radio Astronomy Techniques and Technology (RATT) and Cavendish Laboratory and Kavli Institute for Cosmology in Cambridge / REACH project Guest speakers Dr Eloy de Lera Aceda – A presentation on the REACH telescope and scienceProf James Chibueze – … Read more

The sixth East African Astronomical Society (EAAS) workshop will be held from 20-22 May 2021 at University of Dodoma (UDOM), Dodoma, Tanzania. The main objectives of the EAAS workshop are to promote and enhance the development of Astronomy in East Africa region, to create a platform in networking young and senior scientific communities so as … Read more

Galaxies, Extrasolar planets and Stellar physics: Gazing into the deep space, searching for new worlds, an insights into stellar interior physics. 6 – 17 September 2021  The ongoing activities of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) telescope have accelerated the development of astronomy research on the African continent especially in the field of galactic studies. These activities are … Read more

The meeting will focus on the science coming out of Astronomy in Africa and cultivating collaboration among countries in Africa as well as collaborations between Africa and the rest of the world, invoking the objectives and the science strategy developed at the science business meeting . The conference will also look at attracting and retaining … Read more

Founded in 1820, the SAAO is the 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 … Read more

The African Astronomical Society (AfAS) was relaunched at the Astronomy in Africa business meeting, which was held in Cape Town at the South African Astronomical Observatory on 25-26 March 2019. The meeting was attended by around 80 participants from 20 nations including astronomers, public stakeholders, and research organizations. The meeting focused on business-related issues of … Read more

In 2018, MeerKAT was launched and has given us the clearest view yet of the centre of our Galaxy. Nature astronomy’s recent focus on Africa highlighted the exciting changes happening on the continent. Click on the images below for the articles. SALT and SAAO telescopes partake in an unprecedented international collaboration to investigate the origin … Read more

Cape Town is not only the most popular international tourist destination in South Africa, but Africa as a whole. This is due to its good climate, natural setting, and well-developed infrastructure. Cape Town is the quintessential melting pot: it is a city alive with creativity, colour, sounds and tastes. While walking through the city’s streets … Read more