Given the considerable attention garnered by the introduction with which the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) was ushered into society, it would be easy to assume that science engagement or astronomy outreach at the Observatory only began during the building and commissioning of the Southern African Large Telescope. But the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) records from the 1970s display a vibrant outreach program run without a formal link to a specific department. Also, the book “Astronomers at the Royal Observatory Cape of Good Hope” by Professor Warner details an astronomy outreach partnership between the Observatory and the University of Cape Town astronomy department dating back to the 1950s. However, the formalisation and establishment of an outreach department only happened in the early 2000s, when the Observatory established the SALT Collateral Benefits Programme. The reason for its establishment was to have a wide reach within South Africa as well as the continent. As the first huge investment in astronomy and public outreach, it was expected that SALT would advance development goals through the newly established SALT Collateral Benefits Programme with the focal points of ensuring the advancement of the economy, technology, and society, by using science to provide education and training, complement science education and awareness throughout South Africa, technology infrastructure development, edu-tourism, and education facilities as well as extending the benefits of astronomy and space science to the rest of the African continent.

Introduction of astro-tourism

Rural towns of South Africa offer unique and minimal experiences compared to big cities. Sutherland is one of these rural small towns, with its main tourist attraction, the Southern African Large Telescope, providing a different engagement focus incorporating edutourism and appealing to the inherent curiosity that people have about stars. Of course, when the Sutherland visitors centre and access to SALT were conceived, there was forethought that the edutourism linking science to society and the deep appreciation of dark skies would fortify tourism in a town only known for its very cold winters. What gave the impetus to public access to science was the enactment of the first South African Science and Technology policy whose vision was grounded in investment in mathematics, science, and technology as a fundamental goal. The key deliverables were public awareness programmes, as well as the involvement of society in the advancement of science within the national science institutes. The recently launched astro-tourism strategy in 2024 also views this niche tourism product as a multi-partnership initiative to promote economic development in rural towns.  

In July this year, the Ministers of Science, Technology and Innovation and Tourism jointly launched the South African Astronomical Observatory’s Visitor Centre at the headquarters in Cape Town. While the City of Cape Town does not lack tourism activities to keep visitors engaged, the SAAO offers a unique astronomy heritage experience with telescopes dating back to the 1800s and some modern exhibits for those not into dusty-made-to-last artefacts. Visitors can book private tours on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings.  The visit will include a guided tour of the telescopes including the McClean – the biggest telescope on site – and stargazing. Those keen to know more about the current developments in astronomy research are encouraged to sign up for public open nights that take place on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. These too incorporate some history, like visiting the library and the McClean museum, and stargazing.