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Monday 08:30 - 16:30 Tuesday 08:30 - 16:30 Wednesday 08:30 - 16:30 Thursday 08:30 - 16:30 Friday 08:30 - 16:30

Astronomy Department at UCT

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Astronomy Department at UCT

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Astronomy Department at the University of Cape Town

The Department of Astronomy at the University of Cape Town is the largest university-based astronomy group in the country and has strong ties (and joint positions) with the South African Astronomical Observatory and the South African Square Kilometre Array office. The department primarily comprises observational (optical, near-infrared and radio) astronomers, with international leaders in the fields of large-scale structure of galaxies, dark matter in galaxies, low surface brightness galaxies, the uncovering of galaxies hidden by the Milky Way, the extra-galactic distance scale, and cataclysmic variable stars. The department is also closely associated with a number of other groups within various UCT departments, such as the cosmology group of the applied mathematics department, the astro-particle group of the physics department, and members of the electrical engineering department who are involved in space science and radio telescope technology development.

27/10/2026

In early September, our postgraduate students Nkateko Baloi, Hritik Mitha and Lynn-Joy Murray spent an intensive week on the South African Astronomical Observatory plateau in Sutherland, undergoing observer training on the new 1.8-metre PRIME (Prime-focus Infrared Microlensing Experiment) telescope.

They had the opportunity to train under the expert guidance of our visiting collaborators from Osaka University’s Infrared Astronomy Group. Over the course of the week, the students learned the intricacies of operating this cutting-edge infrared instrument, troubleshooting observations, and surveying the variable sky.

Learning to observe in the isolated Karoo is always special, but having the chance to work directly with international experts made this an invaluable experience. Our department is proud to support this hands-on training as we continue to strengthen our collaborative ties and research links with Japan.

✨🔭🇿🇦🇯🇵

25/09/2026

We challenged some of our department members to hunt for colours in their work!! 🌌☄️🌕

21/09/2026

On the weekend of the 12th and 13th of September, our second-year students took their annual trip to the South African Astronomical Observatory site in Sutherland. The trip did not have the best weather conditions, unfortunately, but the students still got the opportunity to learn about the various telescopes on site and to talk with the scientist operating the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). Overall, they had a blast!

University of Cape Town
UCT Science Faculty
South African Astronomical Observatory

10/09/2026

It’s graduation time again! Congratulations to our latest PhD graduate Dr Christian van der Merwe and our new MSc graduates Lara Featherstone, Ansofi Pretorius, Kyra Kummer, Victor Moloi, Kale Boyes, Austen Louw, Melkameshet Woldetsadik, Lutho Booi and Bret Yotti!
We are very proud of you all for this remarkable achievement! ✨🎓

University of Cape Town
UCT Science Faculty
South African Astronomical Observatory
Cosmology and Gravity Group, University of Cape Town

31/08/2026

The ASTRO ACCEL Innovation Summit is a working summit designed to support collaboration, project development, and sustained engagement across the ASTRO ACCEL network. This year's summit took place in Lisbon, Portugal at the Pavilhão do Conhecimento. Dr Tsiamiso Makwela, a postdoctoral fellow from UCT astronomy, is in the Early Career Researcher Cohort of the network. She presented her ongoing work on the International Capacity building in Astronomy Education Research. She also got the chance to glimpse the solar eclipse!

University of Cape Town
UCT Science Faculty

27/08/2026

Big shoutout to Abigail, Venu, and Emil, who attended the International Pulsar Timing Array 2026 Student Week and Conference in July! The event focused on using precise pulsar timing to detect and measure the Gravitational Wave Background.

During the presentations, Abigail shared her research on the mode-changing pulsar J1748-2021A, Venu presented findings from his pulsar searches in the LMC and SMC, and Emil showcased his work on the white dwarf pulsar J1912-4410. Great work, everyone!

UCT Science Faculty
University of Cape Town

17/08/2026

Fostering the next generation of scientists! 🔭✨

Last week, University of Cape Town hosted the Cape Town Regional Eskom Expo for Young Scientists, featuring 260 incredible research projects from Grade 6–12 learners.

The UCT Astronomy Department was thrilled to have a table at the 3-day event. We had a great time chatting with these bright young minds, answering their questions and sharing what a future in astronomy looks like. 🌌🪐✨

A massive shoutout and thank you to our Outreach Committee for organising this and taking the time to inspire our future students! 👏🚀

Expo for Young Scientists
Cape Town Expo
Faculty of Science UCT

17/07/2026

Congratulations to the Cube Analysis and Rendering Tool for Astronomy (CARTA) team, recipients of the prestigious Research Software Award at the 2025/2026 NSTF-South32 Awards!

This award recognises the outstanding contribution of the CARTA team, led by Prof Rob Simmonds, Technical Lead of CARTA, Associate Director at the Inter-university Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA), and Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Cape Town.

Their innovative software is transforming the way scientists visualise and analyse massive radio astronomy datasets, enabling researchers around the world to explore the universe with unprecedented detail and unlocking new discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics.

Join us LIVE for the NSTF-South32 Awards Gala Event: https://www.youtube.com/live/15mSRmCuF9g

South32 Department of Science,Technology and Innovation SA

01/07/2026

Staff, postdoctoral researchers, and students from UCT Astronomy recently attended the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA). The event brought together representatives from IDIA's partner universities, the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory - SARAO, and the Department of Science,Technology and Innovation SA to celebrate a decade of collaborative, data-intensive astronomy in South Africa.
Several awards were also presented during the celebration. Congratulations to Kyra Kummer for winning the 2025/2026 CARTA Image Competition, Walter Silima for receiving the 2026 Award for Outstanding Master's Paper, and Malebo Moloko for receiving the 2026 Award for Outstanding Doctoral Paper!

30/06/2026

On 30 May, our department hosted ~20 FET phase learners from schools across Cape Town for our annual Astronomy Open Day! The learners got to experience hands-on astronomy and coding activities, tours of the Tony Fairall Teaching Telescope and IDIA Visualisation Lab and lectures from our staff and students introducing them to the fields of astronomy and cosmology. The learners were also honoured with a quick (surprise!) visit from the Dean of Science, Professor Hussein Suleman, who reminded them that "anyone can be a scientist". The day capped off with a pizza lunch and an informative talk presented by UCT admissions on how to join the best university on the African continent!

I huge thank you to our Outreach committee and the volunteers that helped out!
UCT Science Faculty
University of Cape Town
IDIA
Cosmology and Gravity Group, University of Cape Town

Address

Cape Town

Opening Hours

Monday	08:30 - 16:30
Tuesday	08:30 - 16:30
Wednesday	08:30 - 16:30
Thursday	08:30 - 16:30
Friday	08:30 - 16:30

Telephone

+27216505830

Website

https://science.uct.ac.za/department-astronomy, https://maps.app.goo.gl/6CUPbayzVmP4f7Md9, https://linktr.ee/astroatuct

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