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| 2003 Media release |
Johannesburg's Grande Surveyor of the Skies turns 100
3 October 2003
The Johannesburg Observatory, located in the eastern Johannesburg suburb of Observatory will celebrate its centenary in style at a function on Wednesday,
8 October. The Observatory which is now being managed by the National Research Foundation (NRF)'s science outreach business unit the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA), was in its day one of the leaders in astronomical science in the southern hemisphere.
It was at the Johannesburg Observatory that there were more observations of minor planets than at any other observatory in the Southern Hemisphere in all the history of astronomy. Over the years astronomers at the observatory discovered over 6 000 double stars and catalogued more than 20 000 double stars. It was also at the Observatory that Proxima Centauri, the faint companion star of Alpha Centauri was discovered.
Light pollution in a growing Johannesburg, resulted in the Observatory being partially closed down in the 1970s, and the state concentrated its astronomical research activities at its observatory in Sutherland.
The site however continues to remain in use, and the still-in use telescopes are used by amateur astronomers and members of the public interested in astronomy. Many of the buildings on the site also have important historical and architectural links.
Guests at Wednesday's celebrations will be treated to a closer look at the skies, and weather permitting may even have a closer look at the planet Mars which is still close to the earth at this time.
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