• Astronomers confounded by a mysterious million solar-mass dark object whose inner structure defies explanation

    An international team of astronomers have uncovered what may be a new type of unseen dark object in the distant Universe that doesn’t seem to resemble anything observed before.

    Read more

  • MEERKAT DISCOVERS UNUSUAL RADIO GLOW IN A DISTANT SWARM OF GALAXIES

    A team of South African scientists using the South African Radio Observatory’s (SARAO) MeerKAT radio telescope has spotted a rare and extremely faint radio glow coming from a huge cluster of galaxies about 7 billion light-years away.

    Read more on meerkat discoveries

  • South African telescope detects natural radio emission – and no signal of technological origin – from the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS

    An international team led by researchers at the University of Cape Town, the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), Rhodes University and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), has now used the powerful MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa to learn more about this interstellar visitor.

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  • Innovating for impact: Fort Hare students harness Open Data and AI to uplift communities in the Eastern Cape

    An Open Data for Social Impact Challenge was hosted by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) in partnership with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and the University of Fort Hare from 3 – 6 November 2025.

    Read more on Open Data and AI
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Pioneers of Radio Astronomy

The Square Kilometre Array, built in South Africa, will be the largest radio telescope ever built and will produce science that changes our understanding of the universe. NRF/SARAO is responsible for managing all radio astronomy initiatives and facilities in South Africa, including the MeerKAT Radio Telescope, Geodesy and VLBI activities.

Find out more about SARAO

Featured News

Discover the latest breakthroughs, discoveries, and updates — exploring the universe’s wonders and advancing the frontiers of science.

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Astronomers confounded by a mysterious million solar-mass dark object whose inner structure defies explanation

Astronomers confounded by a mysterious million solar-mass dark object whose inner structure defies explanation

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MEERKAT DISCOVERS UNUSUAL RADIO GLOW IN A DISTANT SWARM OF GALAXIES

MEERKAT DISCOVERS UNUSUAL RADIO GLOW IN A DISTANT SWARM OF GALAXIES

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South African telescope detects natural radio emission – and no signal of technological origin – from the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS

South African telescope detects natural radio emission – and no signal of technological origin – from the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS

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Astronomers confounded by a mysterious million solar-mass dark object whose inner structure defies explanation

Astronomers confounded by a mysterious million solar-mass dark object whose inner structure defies explanation

January 5, 2026
Watch – SARAO Celebrates 20 years of Human Capacity Development milestone and launches Alumni Network | Highlights

Watch – SARAO Celebrates 20 years of Human Capacity Development milestone and launches Alumni Network | Highlights

December 12, 2025
World Science Journalists experience SARAO’s Losberg Site in the Karoo

World Science Journalists experience SARAO’s Losberg Site in the Karoo

December 11, 2025

SARAO’s Video Archives – Watch, Learn, Explore

Engaging content on SARAO’s research, telescope operations, and cosmic discoveries—explore interviews, updates, and stunning visuals

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Watch – SARAO Celebrates 20 years of Human Capacity Development milestone and launches Alumni Network | Highlights

Watch – SARAO Celebrates 20 years of Human Capacity Development milestone and launches Alumni Network | Highlights

SARAO’s scientific findings + expert commentary, visualisation & an immersive experience

SARAO’s scientific findings + expert commentary, visualisation & an immersive experience

SARAO People: Meet the experts behind SARAO—the minds driving innovation in radio astronomy and shaping the future of science.

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Eunice Kabelo Matsetela – Projects Quantity Surveyor

Prof. Roelf Botha – Manager of Geodesy

Rebaone Seape – Mechanical Engineer

Cutting-edge technological advancements

SARAO Science: Discover the science driving SARAO’s world-class research

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The South African National Ventilator Project (NVP)

Radio Experiment for the Analysis of Cosmic Hydrogen (REACH)

Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Re-ionisation project (PAPER)

C-BASS C-Band All Sky Survey project

Telescopes and Instruments

A close-up view of a single MeerKAT radio telescope dish in the Karoo, reflecting sunlight against a backdrop of rugged terrain, symbolizing cutting-edge astronomical research

MeerKAT in Northern Cape, South Africa

The South African MeerKAT radio telescope, situated 90 km outside the small Northern Cape town of Carnarvon, is a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope and will be integrated into the mid-frequency component of SKA Phase 1. Discover how the MeerKAT telescope is built.

26m and 15m radio telescope for radio astronomy and geodesy in Hartebeesthoek Site, Johannesburg, South Africa

SARAO Hartebeesthoek Site is located west of Johannesburg, South Africa. built in 1961 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States of America. An 85 foot = 26 metre diameter antenna was used to get data from, and send commands to, many unmanned US space probes going beyond Earth orbit. Discover Astronomy Instruments in Hartebeesthoek Site

Digitiser Technology (Sampler Module Technology)

Digitiser Technology (Sampler Module Technology)

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Programmes and Opportunities

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