Announcements

SARAO Web

Share Your Experience and Thoughts: Review the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory on Google

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Are you interested in astronomy and the exploration of the universe? Do you want to learn more about the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) and its fascinating initiatives? If so, we invite you to share your experience and thoughts by reviewing SARAO on Google!

SARAO, a facility of the National Research Foundation, is responsible for managing all radio astronomy initiatives and facilities in South Africa. Its flagship project, the MeerKAT Radio Telescope in the Karoo, has made significant contributions to the global scientific community, including the discovery of rare and exciting phenomena in the universe.

As a SARAO user or enthusiast, you can help promote and support the organization by sharing your honest opinions and feedback through a Google review. Your review can provide valuable insights for potential visitors, partners, and researchers who are interested in SARAO’s work and facilities.

Writing a review is easy and takes only a few minutes. Just follow these simple steps:

  1. Go to Google and search for “South African Radio Astronomy Observatory.”
  2. Click on the “Write a review” button on the right side of the page.
  3. Sign in to your Google account or create a new one.
  4. Rate SARAO by selecting the number of stars you want to give, from 1 to 5.
  5. Write a detailed review, including your experience, thoughts, and suggestions.
  6. Submit your review and share it with the world!

Your review can make a big difference for SARAO and its mission to advance radio astronomy research in South Africa and beyond. So, whether you had a positive or negative experience, we encourage you to share it with us and help us improve our services and facilities.

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to reading your reviews!

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SARAO Web

MeerKAT Radio Telescope Call for Observing Proposals

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The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) announces an opportunity to apply for observing time on the MeerKAT telescope.

A minimum of 1,750 hours of telescope time will be awarded through this opportunity. Novel proposal types and observing capabilities are offered in this Call.

MeerKAT consists of 64 dishes with superb sensitivity on baselines of up to 8 km. This Call offers continuum, spectral line, and pulsar/fast transient capabilities employing the UHF (580-1015 MHz), L- (900-1670 MHz), and S-band (1.75-3.5 GHz) receivers.

Instructions, documentation, and the tools required to prepare and submit proposals are available on the MeerKAT Knowledge Base. Proposals are due no later than 12:00 UTC on Tuesday, 3 May 2023.

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SARAO Web

SARAO has new request for quotations, respond before the closing date

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The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) has recently announced the availability of new Request for Quotations (RFQs) on its website. These RFQs are for the procurement of various goods and services required by the organization to support its ongoing projects and initiatives.

SARAO is a world-class radio astronomy facility that operates telescopes and other equipment across the African continent. The organization is committed to advancing scientific knowledge and understanding through the study of the universe and its phenomena. To achieve its mission, SARAO works closely with international partners, including the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project, which aims to build the world’s largest radio telescope.

Click here to view available request for quotations

Click here to download supplier database documents

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SARAO Web

Announcing Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory

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The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) is pleased to announce the availability of several scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships for the year 2024. SARAO is a leading research institution that plays a critical role in advancing radio astronomy in South Africa and beyond. These opportunities are available to highly motivated individuals who are keen to advance their research careers in radio astronomy.

Click here to view available Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships

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SARAO Web

ICALEPCS 2023: early bird registrations and abstract submission now open

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The 19th biennial International Conference on Accelerator and Large Experimental Physics Control Systems (ICALEPCS) 2023 will be held from Monday, 9 October to Friday, 13 October 2023.

Hosted by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), the conference will be preceded by workshops on Saturday, 7 October and Sunday, 8 October 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa.

ICALEPCS (http://www.icalepcs.org) is a series of biennial conferences that rotates between three major areas of the world: America (including North, Central and South America), Asia (including Oceania) and EMEA (Europe including Russia, the Middle East and Africa). It is well established as the largest conference dedicated to control systems for accelerators and large experiments in physics. ICALEPCS 2023 will be the first time that the conference is hosted in Africa.

The conference will be held in-person again after a fully remote conference in 2021. Conference attendees are strongly encouraged to attend in person to profit from the opportunity to meet again after the pandemic. Early bird registrations are now open at https://icalepcs2023.org.

Abstract submissions are currently open and close on Sunday, 30 April 2023.

The instructions on how to submit abstracts are detailed in the conference website at https://icalepcs2023.org/authors/abstract-submission

The direct link to the JACoW SPMS for the abstract submission is https://oraweb.cern.ch/pls/icalepcs2023/profile.html

All those with an interest in the field of control and data acquisition systems and following the latest trends related to hardware, software and information technology in general in large experimental physics systems, including particle accelerators and detectors, photon and neutron sources, telescopes, nuclear fusion facilities, high power laser facilities, and other control applications in science and industry, are invited to submit contributions for presentation at the conference.

This year’s conference holds a priceless moment in history since it is the first time that it is being hosted in Africa since its inception. For some it also presents a nostalgic feeling, being able to travel again after a period of uncertainty on resumption of collocated meetings.

As such, this conference offers a fresh start and we get to meet again in person to discuss innovations and fashion collaborations from the various meetings.

In recent decades several instruments have come online to conduct different experiments to test and enable us to glean more insight into theories and improve our understanding of the Universe at large. The MeerKAT dishes in South Africa make a star appearance, contributing towards this goal of ground-breaking science, with its highly sensitive receivers for radio wave observations.

The need for equally matching control system software in scale and performance cannot be emphasised enough with the arrival of these powerful instruments. This sets the stage to introduce the theme for this year’s conference as Accelerating Control Systems Software for Groundbreaking Science. As we share our improvements and advances in our work with the community, we have a unique learning opportunity to be equipped to produce novel work and support the effort to churn out ground-breaking scientific work.

Visitors will find Cape Town a vibrant, trendy, sophisticated, well connected and stunningly attractive city. Indeed South Africa’s top six tourist attractions are within an hour from the city centre. Cape Town has a history of hosting big events and accommodating large numbers of international guests in world class facilities. South Africa is a multicultural destination with a rich history and a unique peaceful, political transformation.

In our country there is a heady, exciting mix of tourist and entertainment possibilities. With a distinctive African footprint, a unique fauna and flora in a dramatically beautiful physical environment, you will be well advised to extend your stay beyond the conference to explore our country and our continent.

We are confident that the scientific programme will be very informative and stimulating, the social activities will promote lasting friendships and that the conference tours will give you the opportunity to explore our wonderful country.

We look forward to welcoming you to Cape Town!

Download First Announcement Brochure (pdf)
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SARAO Web

SARAO High Performance Computing Overview

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THE SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY (SARAO) HOSTS THE MEERKAT RADIO TELESCOPE, SITUATED AT LOSBERG IN THE NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA.

The MeerKAT radio telescope produces magnificent images

A High Performance Computing (HPC) system underpins the telescope. These systems provide state of the art performance at a particularly aggressive price point, providing innovative technology solutions.

SARAO is actively seeking partners and commercialisation opportunities within the HPC space, and is well positioned to offer transformative technologies at hitherto unachievable price points.

PORTFOLIO

The following provides some insight into the current and near-term SARAO HPC product portfolio.

HIGH PERFORMANCE HIGH CAPACITY STORAGE

Data Storage System – High Capacity (DSS-HC): As deployed in the MeerKAT science archive, this low cost, high capacity storage appliance is designed and manufactured in South Africa and offers significant cost saving over other commercially available solutions. It can also be customized for different applications. Combined with the high performance object storage software layer, large-scale turnkey deployments typically see a two to three times saving over a five year total cost of ownership compared to vendor solutions.

CEPH: CEPH is the software layer that underpins the massive storage deployed in the MeerKAT science archive. A large ecosystem of internally developed products complement the core CEPH architecture to provide a user friendly, easy to maintain solution to Peta-scale storage requirements.

Cascade (in development): Leveraging DSS-HC, Data Storage System – High Speed (DSS-HS) (all flash storage appliance) and the in-development tape library, we plan a fully tiered storage system from memory through to tape that will offer industry leading performance.

ENERGY EFFICIENT COMPUTE

IronHive (in development): A ruggedised, embedded computer system based microserver that provides exceptional energy efficiency, avoids the need for expensive data center infrastructure, and provides substantial in-band storage. The market for ruggedised designs is almost completely unserviced at this point, and an ecosystem of ruggedised compute and storage, able to operate in harsh environments, has enormous potential, particularly in the African context.

Efficient Design: Even without radical designs such as IronHive, there is much room for improvement in traditional HPC deployments. Our experience in architecting extremely cost effective and fit for purpose systems, provides a substantial competitive advantage and is a core focus of the systems integration offering.

ENERGY EFFICIENT STORAGE

Tape Library (in development): The last five years has seen a significant resurgence in tape as a cold, energy efficient medium for bulk data storage. Unfortunately many of the benefits of tapes are lost due to the high pricing for the robotised tape libraries and the cost of ongoing licenses. SARAO is well underway with an in-house tape library system, utilising off-the-shelf tape drives, that will realise five to ten times cost savings over a five year ownership period.

SOFTWARE

Platform Software (existing and in development): In addition to the basic software required to deliver a computer or storage system, there is a multitude of additional services that provide value to the customer. These include monitoring, logging, dashboards, schedulers and resource management. Again, SARAO has a significant catalogue of software products in this realm, and substantial experience to deploy and develop new products.

Applications (ongoing): The group is able to provide software consultancy, for co-design between user application and the delivered hardware to deliver exceptional efficiencies. In these situations we would provide software development effort to port applications and optimise code to suit the target platform.

For more information, contact:
SARAO Head: Engineering

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SARAO Web

Stay Connected to the Latest in Radio Astronomy: Follow SARAO on Facebook!

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Attention all fellow space enthusiasts and radio astronomy fans!

We would like to extend a warm invitation for you to follow our Facebook page. Our page is a hub for all things related to radio astronomy and the latest developments in the field.

As a leader in the industry, we are dedicated to sharing the latest advancements and exciting discoveries with our followers. Whether you are a professional astronomer, a student, or just have a passion for the cosmos, our page is the perfect place for you to stay informed and connected.

We regularly post updates on the MeerKAT radio telescope and other observatories, as well as the latest scientific results and findings. You will also have access to behind-the-scenes photos and videos, as well as insights into the work that we do.

In addition to our commitment to sharing the latest news, we also value engagement with our followers. Our page is a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas, and we encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions with us.

So if you’re looking for a place to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in radio astronomy and connect with like-minded individuals, be sure to follow our company Facebook page. We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here to view our Facebook page

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SARAO Web

Request for Quotations

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The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory invites all credible suppliers for quotations for the supply and delivery goods and services.

Here you can download & view Request for Quotations:

Available Request For Quotations Supplier Database Documents

IMPORTANT: The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory will never contact a service provider to request money for any tender, formal quotations, or quotations.

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SARAO Web

Questionnaire: Science Engagement Interest

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Working in an environment like SARAO and closely linked to the SKAO, a lot of staff members are leading the way in their respective fields – and therefore, have a story to tell. This story could inspire others to follow similar paths and it could even lead to a more scientifically literate society! You have to power to be the change!

Please complete the short questionnaire to indicate where you would be interested to contribute, your information will be used only for SARAO purposes and in compliance with the POPI Act.

Please see the link to the questionnaire: https://forms.gle/Ls3TLyAkpGwfxCuu8

Kind regards
The SARAO Science Engagement Team

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SARAO Web

Where are the MeerKAT telescopes located in South Africa?

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The South African MeerKAT radio telescope, is situated 90 km outside the small Northern Cape town of Carnarvon.

Click here to read more about the MeerKAT

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