UK astronomers to be transported from desktop to distant galaxy as first colour images are released

Astronomers at the University of Southampton can use their PCs to spot stars as faint as a candle on the Moon using a record-breaking new telescope located in South Africa.

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the largest in the southern hemisphere and equal to the largest in the world, was built by partners in six countries. The University of Southampton is a member of the six-strong UK consortium.

The £11 million SALT project has now released its first colour images from space, five years after construction started. The UK consortium of Southampton, together with Armagh Observatory, the University of Keele, the University of Central Lancashire, the University of Nottingham, and the Open University, and their partners in Germany, Poland, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA, have been amazed at the quality of the images, which are the first taken by SALT's new US $600,000 digital camera, SALTICAM.

The 'first light' sample images were shot during the camera's first trial period of operation, which also achieved SALT's first significant scientific results.

Professor Malcolm Coe, Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton, said: "This is a very exciting time for the SALT project and the start of a new era in astronomical observation. We have waited five years for this moment. The University has been involved in the project since it started and we will have access to the telescope for the next ten years.

"Already the first images from the SALT camera are of excellent quality and we have great hopes for the future. Access to the telescope will be a major asset to those studying astronomy at Southampton."

Phil Charles, Director of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) which will run SALT, and Professor of Astronomy at Southampton, said: "I am delighted with these First Light images and results that demonstrate the level of operation we have already attained. Of course, we expect these capabilities to improve further as the final construction work is completed and commissioned, particularly the mirror's-edge sensors that maintain the mirror "shape".

"To have achieved this within five years of the groundbreaking ceremony is a splendid testament to the efforts of the entire SALT Project Team, and I give my hearty congratulations to the Project Manager and Project Scientist, who have set a benchmark for the entire international community. We look forward with great anticipation to the first year of SALT science operations."

Limited scientific observations have already begun while completion of the telescope's commissioning continues over the coming months. In the near future installation will begin of the major first generation instrument, the Prime Focus Imaging Spectrograph. SALT science programmes will vary from studies of the most distant and faint galaxies to observations of asteroids and comets in our own solar system.

The University of Southampton has a contract to train students for SALT and there are currently two at the University. "These students are the next generation of astronomers. They have very fulfilling careers ahead of them, working with the telescope and advancing our knowledge of astronomy," said Professor Coe.

SALT, which has been completed on time and in budget, will be handed over to SAAO Director, Professor Phil Charles, in November. South African President Thabo Mbeki will officially open SALT on 10 November. Professor Malcolm Coe and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bill Wakeham, will attend the inauguration ceremony.