ann22004 — Announcement

Rising Star: a journey through South African astronomy

Rising Star is a fulldome show that offers the viewer an engaging and fully immersive glimpse into the world of South African Astronomy.

29 March 2022

What is South Africa’s place in international astronomy? How is the country using its facilities to take astronomy to the wide public? And what mysteries are their astronomers helping to unravel? Embark on a journey through South African astronomy with Rising Star.

The South African produced planetarium film ‘Rising Star’ is now available on ESO archive, in 4K and 8K. Rising Star: A South African Astronomy Journey takes the audience on an astronomical journey through the development and future of astronomy research in South Africa. In addition, it highlights the many remarkable facilities hosted in the country along with some of their latest results, including unrestricted views of the Southern African Large Telescope and the most powerful radio telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, MeerKAT.

“As the first of its kind to be produced in Africa, Rising Star hopes to stimulate the production of many more locally produced planetarium films from multidisciplinary fields, with the goal of popularising Africa’s numerous scientific achievements”, said the South African Astronomical Observatory.

The show, accessible to all ages, saw the premiere on 19 October 2020 at the Iziko Planetarium and Digital Dome nestled in the heart of Cape Town, South Africa, and was supported by the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO). The South African based 360 production company VR Capture was in charge of the production.

Translations are encouraged for greater global accessibility and exposure.

More Information

The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre

The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre is a cooperation between the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS). The building is a donation from the Klaus Tschira Stiftung (KTS), a German foundation, and ESO runs the facility.

South African Astronomical Observatory

Founded in 1820, the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO; www.saao.ac.za) 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 outreach activities to enthuse citizens about physics and astronomy. The SAAO is a facility of the National Research Foundation, which operates under the South African Department of Science and Technology. The SAAO encompasses headquarters in the eponymous suburb of Observatory in Cape Town, and a dedicated research and observation station with several working telescopes (including SALT; www.salt.ac.za) outside the Karoo town of Sutherland in the Northern Cape.

The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory

The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), a facility of the National Research Foundation, is responsible for managing all radio astronomy initiatives and facilities in South Africa, including the MeerKAT radio telescope in the Karoo, and the Geodesy and VLBI activities at the HartRAO facility. SARAO also coordinates the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (AVN) for the eight SKA partner countries in Africa, as well as South Africa’s contribution to the infrastructure and engineering planning for the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope. To maximise the return on South Africa’s investment in radio astronomy, SARAO is managing programmes to create capacity in radio astronomy science and engineering research, and the technical capacity required to support site operations.