Year 12 Sutherland Astronomy Trip

On Wednesday, the 8th of February, half the grade 12s left on a 3-day trip to Sutherland. Taking 2 buses, the trip there allowed for scenic mountain passes and long tunnels in between the stretches of road. 

On the way, we visited Matjiesfontein, where the (allegedly haunted) Lord Milner Hotel resides. After checking out the hotel with its pale statues, watchful paintings and classical design, we did a circuit of the small town. One of the highlights was the history of travel museum, which contained rows upon rows of restored old cars of numerous colours and models, as well as three steam trains; we were able to explore the old trains, wandering through thin corridors, looking at the old engines and tight seating arrangements.

Following this, we visited an actual train station containing displays of typewriters, old wall phones and the many large, coloured levers which used to act as signals at the station boundaries to avoid collisions. 

The trip to Matjiesfontein was a fascinating dip into history.

The place we stayed at was a little further on, with lots of springboks and birds and shrubs along the dirt track after we passed the gates into Rogge Cloof. Established in 1756, a farmer built it in the Roggeveld – Afrikaans for ‘Rye Field’. There was a main building with a dining hall and a lounge with a row of bikes parked at the front, and outside lay a small vineyard. From there, we followed a road past the swimming and seminar room, past the teachers’ residence and up a hill to where we were staying – in a few separate guest houses.

Soon after our arrival, we went swimming, followed by an incredible curry dinner and ice cream for dessert. That night, we could watch the moon rise over the horizon.

The second day began with a talk about fossils from the Permian period, which lasted from around 300 to 250 million years ago, its end marking the beginning of the Triassic Period, in a time where the continents consisted of a single supercontinent – Pangea. It precedes dinosaurs (the Jurassic Period) by around 50 million years. 

The largest mass extinction occurred at the end of the Permian Period, wiping out 90% or more of all the species of that age due to an abrupt change in temperatures.

There is evidence to suggest a change in the carbon cycle, the predominant theory being that the Siberian flood basalts erupted for a prolonged period, throwing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (eruption, ignition of coal seams, burning forests), which caused an abrupt increase in global temperatures that most species were unable to cope with. 

Many of the fossils we looked at were herbivores, the theory being that the fossil-rich area on the reserve used to be a hunting ground for predators. We saw teeth, vessels or vertebrae of a Pareiasaur, Pristerognathus, Diictodon, Bradysaurus and Tapinocephalus before piling onto the two safari vehicles to get a look at the actual fossil grounds and learning about the fauna – namely, what plants were edible, and what plants would result in lethal diarrhoea.

We also had a fantastic view of the extinct volcano ‘Salpeterkop’, a prominent feature of the landscape. 

That afternoon we visited the planetarium for an immersive 3D look at different constellations and planets and a bit of astronomy – and that evening, we followed it up with some star gazing. 

We looked at ‘beetle juice’ – a red star that’s also Orion’s armpit – which is nearing the end of its life, and various constellations like Gemini and Taurus before being shown how to find south the Southern Cross, and from that, the celestial pole.

To conclude the day, we went on a late evening drive in the safari vehicles to an even more remote location for a braai supper – and s’mores for dessert. 

—-

The morning we were up, packed and ready for a short hike to a cave in the area before piling in the buses to head to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO).

The reception contained an array of displays and posters, both about our solar system and a variety of fossils.

At the top of the hill lies a collection of optical telescopes owned by various countries; SALT (South Africa’s Largest Telescope) itself is only partially owned by South Africa, as numerous countries pitched in to supply the 36 million US dollars it took to build. Most were closed for the day except for the Bison Telescopes, whose function is tracking the sun.

From our guide, we learnt a bit about the new technology South Africa is integrating called multi-wavelength imaging, which incorporates both the optical telescopes in Sutherland and the MeerKAT radio telescope in the Northern Cape but can include numerous different ends of the electromagnetic spectrum to enhance images of space and get a fuller idea of what is going on in the cosmos.

Built in 1964, the 1.0m Elizabeth Telescope was the first one constructed in Sutherland, remotely operated and owned by South Africa, it was also the first one we viewed. Moving on the x and y-axis, one arm of the telescope adjusts with a celestial pole throughout the night, and it contains a single primary mirror that has to be cleaned once a year by lowering it through an impressive trapdoor. 

All of this was incredible, but arriving at SALT, it paled in comparison. Consisting of 91 individual mirrors weighing about 100 kgs each, and a total diameter of 11m, the telescope is able to discern a single candlelight on the moon, 384 400 km away. The telescope rotates using inflatable air cushions beneath the legs to mitigate its weight, all of which have to be operated locally. The mirrors adjust individually, the centre mirror leading the others to form a parabola, all while the steel frame and outer walls shift with each alteration. 

Overall, it was a fascinating trip and a wonderful experience, so thank you to Dr Doyle and Mr Moore for organising it!

– By Hannah

Photos by Josh and Jake