Astronomical Society of Southern Africa
Encyclopedia
The Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA), formed in 1922, is a body consisting of both amateur and professional astronomer
s. The Council of ASSA meets in Cape Town
. There are eight autonomous centres throughout Southern Africa.
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
s. The Council of ASSA meets in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. There are eight autonomous centres throughout Southern Africa.
History
The Cape Astronomical Association was established in 1912, shortly after the 1910 appearance of Halley's Comet. Sydney Samuel Hough, HM Astronomer at the Cape, was chosen President. In 1918, the Johannesburg Astronomical Association was created, with RTA Innes, Union Astronomer, as President. In 1922 it was decided to merge the two Associations to form the Astronomical Society of South Africa after an invitation from the Cape Association.Membership and Publications
Membership is open to all interested persons. The Society publishes the peer-reviewed MNASSA journal (Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa). In addition to MNASSA, the annual handbook "Sky Guide Africa South" is distributed to members and available for the public.Notable members
- Alexander F. I. ForbesAlexander F. I. ForbesAlexander Forbes Irvine Forbes was a South African astronomer.He was born in Scotland in Kinellar, Aberdeenshire and came to South Africa in 1896. He returned to Scotland to study but emigrated permanently to South Africa in 1909...
discovered comet 37P/Forbes37P/Forbes37P/Forbes is a periodic comet in our solar system.The comet nucleus is estimated to be 1.9 kilometers in diameter.-External links:* from JPL / ** 2011 05 29, 2:55:09 UT; mag 18.0 N; C. Bell H47...
. - John Francis SkjellerupJohn Francis SkjellerupJohn Francis Skjellerup was an Australian who spent about a decade working as a telegraphist in South Africa, and was an astronomer....
was one of the founding members of the society. A number of comets carry his name, including 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup26P/Grigg-SkjellerupComet Grigg–Skjellerup is a periodic comet.Discovered in 1902 by John Grigg of New Zealand, and rediscovered in its next appearance in 1922 by John Francis Skjellerup, an Australian then living and working for about two decades in South Africa where he was a founder member of the Astronomical...
and Comet Skjellerup-MaristanyComet Skjellerup-MaristanyComet Skjellerup-Maristany, formally designated C/1927 X1, 1927 IX, and 1927k, was a long-period comet which became very bright in 1927. This great comet was observable to the naked eye for about 32 days...
. A comet discovery by Skjellerup was one of the main reasons for the formation of the Cape Astronomical Association in 1912. - John Caiser Bennet served as president of the society for some time from 1969. Bennet discovered comet C/1969Comet BennettComet Bennett, formally known as C/1969 Y1 , was one of two brilliant comets to grace the 1970s, along with Comet West...
(Comet Bennett) and main-beltAsteroid beltThe asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
asteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
4093 Bennett4093 Bennett4093 Bennett is a main-belt asteroid discovered on November 4, 1986 by Rob McNaught at Siding Spring.- External links :*...
is also named after him.
Activities
Various sections exist within the Society to coordinate the activities of special interest groups, including the running of observational programs. They consist of the Comets and Meteor Section, Dark Sky, Deep-Sky, Education & Public Communication, Double Stars, Historical, Occultations, Solar and Variable Stars.Autonomous Sections
The autonomous local centres of ASSA hold regular meetings where visitors are welcomed. Centres are situated in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, the Garden Route, Harare (Zimbabwe), Johannesburg, Kwazulu-Natal Midlands and Pretoria.See also
- Southern African Large TelescopeSouthern African Large TelescopeThe Southern African Large Telescope is a 66m2 area optical telescope with a nominally 9.2 meter aperture but up to about 11.1m x ~9.8 m diameter aperture, and designed mainly for spectroscopy. It is located close to the town of Sutherland in the semi-desert region of the Karoo, South Africa...
- South African Astronomical ObservatorySouth African Astronomical ObservatorySouth African Astronomical Observatory is the national center 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...
- Boyden ObservatoryBoyden ObservatoryBoyden Observatory is a South African astronomical research observatory and science education centre.-History:The observatory was originally founded in 1889 by the Harvard University at Mount Hardvard near Lima, Peru, but relocated to Arequipa, Peru in October 1890.Significant work done at Arequipa...