Astronomy Department at UCT

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

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 Ku**er 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!

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

IDIA is celebrating its 10th anniversary!

Discover how the institute has helped advance MeerKAT science, build research capacity, and prepare South Africa for the SKA Observatory era.

Read more: https://www.idia.ac.za/2026/06/17/idia-marks-a-decade-of-data-driven-discovery/

Technical officer position available in our Department!

Instructions below, but please visit our website for more details.

🌌 OPEN NIGHT AT NRF|SAAO 🔭

Join us on Saturday, 27 June, in Cape Town for an evening of Astronomy, Observatory tours, and Stargazing (weather permitting)!

🎤 Guest Speaker: Mikhail de Villiers
🪐 Talk: *Gassed Up: The Role of Gas in Galaxy Evolution*

Discover how invisible hydrogen gas shapes the life cycle of galaxies and how South Africa's MeerKAT telescope is revealing hidden structures throughout the Universe.

✨ Astronomy Talk
✨ Guided Observatory Tour
✨ Historic McClean Telescope
✨ Stargazing (weather permitting)

🕢 Gates open at 7:30 PM
👧 Free entry for children 6 years and under

🔗 Bookings & more information:
https://www.saao.ac.za/visit-capetown/

Beyond the telescope: Leading the global radio astronomy revolution IDIA’s first decade has shown that South Africa can build and sustain the data-intensive capability required for frontier astronomy.

A decade of discovery: Celebrating 10 Years of data-intensive astronomy The Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA) celebrated a decade of transforming MeerKAT telescope data into world-leading scientific discoveries, while advancing South Africa's capabilities in astronomy, data science, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.