Everything Science Forum

http://www.everything-science.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=154&Itemid=1

Astronomers and students at UK universities and observatories can use their PCs to spot stars as faint as a candle on the Moon using a record-breaking new telescope.

(http://www.everything-science.com//images/stories/PRNGC6744a.jpg)

NGC 6744 is a large face-on  (http://www.everything-science.com/javascript:void(0) onmouseover=return overlib('Type of spiral galaxy in which the spirals stem from a bar-like structure of material, rather than from the center.', CAPTION, 'barred spiral',BELOW,RIGHT, WIDTH, 300, FGCOLOR, '#CCCCFF', BGCOLOR, '#333399', TEXTCOLOR, '#000000', CAPCOLOR, '#FFFFFF', OFFSETX, 10, OFFSETY, 10); onmouseout=return nd();   onclick=return overlib('Type of spiral galaxy in which the spirals stem from a bar-like structure of . . .[/quote)

Just a beautiful image. What a great achievement for Africa!

This is a wonderful achievement for Africa and South Africa.  It's about time the continent had some significant scientific infracstructure of this class.

Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) website - www.salt.ac.za
(It's a bit slow, even with broadband)

South African Astronomical Observatory
http://www.saao.ac.za/
P.O. Box 9, Observatory, 7935, South Africa
Phone: +27 (0)21 447-0025
Fax: +27 (0)21 447-3639

http://www.saao.ac.za/salt/
SALT will be built near Sutherland on the South African Astronomical Observatory's site in South Africa's Northern Cape Province. On this desert hilltop, far from city lights and pollution, SAAO has operated telescopes since the early 1970s. SAAO will also operate SALT, under contract with the SALT Board, and the SALT design and engineering team is based at SAAO in Cape Town.

Its a wonderful location to have a scope, even I, would love access to use it. Nice webcam on there site too.