Uploaded September 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
On 15 March 2023, the Sutherland Observatory will officially be 50 years old. In commemoration of this centenary, a series of talks was arranged , and I was asked to share my 35 years of employment at SAAO (South African Astronomical Observatory). The first 15 years after the establishment of the Sutherland Observatory was relatively uneventful. Then SN1987A exploded! The supernova was still naked eye brightness when I started as Electronic Technician in Sutherland in May 1987. Today, 50 years after the official inauguration, the site similarly exploded with the addition of 20 more domes. During my 35 years at SAAO, several telescopes and instruments were shut down and replaced, the management changed three times and six directors came and went.
On 15 March 2023, the Sutherland Observatory will officially be 50 years old. In commemoration of this centenary, a series of talks was arranged , and I was asked to share my 35 years of employment at SAAO (South African Astronomical Observatory). The first 15 years after the establishment of the Sutherland Observatory was relatively uneventful. Then SN1987A exploded! The supernova was still naked eye brightness when I started as Electronic Technician in Sutherland in May 1987. Today, 50 years after the official inauguration, the site similarly exploded with the addition of 20 more domes. During my 35 years at SAAO, several telescopes and instruments were shut down and replaced, the management changed three times and six directors came and went.
