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Masego
Student
Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, South Africa
1
Question
Updated
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How Big Is Astronomy in South Africa Really?
Hi, I'm Masego, an 11th grade learner at Mabothe Secondary High School, and I'm super interested in astronomy. I've always been fascinated by science, and I think it all started when I watched documentaries on the Da Vinci channel about famous scientists like Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Einstein, and Isaac Newton. There's something about those stars that truly draws me in - I find the universe mysterious and cool! I'm curious about pursuing a career in astronomy in South Africa. How big of a field is astronomy in South Africa, and would it be challenging to find job opportunities? I've heard some students say they can't find jobs in the field. Are there many organizations or institutions in SA that focus on astronomy, and what kind of roles are available? I'd love to hear from you all in the science field about your experiences and advice.
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3 answers
Michelle M.
Actress
3284
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Masego !
I think that it's great that you have a strong interest in Astronomy and I would advise you to follow through with the studies, training and career ! It's not important what people are saying right now. You probably would not start your career for 8 more years, so you should learn as much as you can and explore the career. Do not worry about the future.
You will be happy to know, however, that South Africa is becoming a leader in radio astronomy ! You have the MeerKAT telescope near Carnarvon and the upcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, which will be hosted in South Africa. South Africa is a leader in astronomical research, enabling groundbreaking discoveries and collaborations with international scientists. How does this sound to you ?
Also, Astronomy is well established in your country and South African astronomers have made significant contributions world wide. Right now there are over 200 Astronomers in your country. This career may be challenging as far as navigating where the opportunities are, but if you go to University and continue on for a Masters Degree, you will meet very important contacts that could boost your possibilities of being offered a career.
It may be true that there are not many positions in the newspaper or on employment websites, but you can explore how Astronomers do obtain their work. It most likely will be a matter of making very strong connections with your professors and Astronomy Department while at University and doing unique and outstanding research for your Masters Degree. The primary niches for your career will be in Research and in Teaching. You can do one or the other or both at the same time.
My next advice for you is to frequently visit Planetariums and Observatories. Get information about The South African Astronomical Observatory (read their website) and visit there. As for Planetariums, visit Iziko Planetarium in Cape Town and the Wits Planetarium in Johannesburg. There is also the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome in Johannesburg. Some time, try to plan a trip to The Naval Hill Planetarium in Bloemfontein and the Sutherland Planetarium even though they're not close by where you live. My High School has a Planetarium and most recently my University obtained a Planetarium. I have also been to The Hayden Planetarium in New York City and when I lived in Los Angeles, I lived near The Griffith Observatory. I can tell you it is an amazing experience at Observatories and Planetariums and I think you will love it. Try to catch different "shows" at the Planetariums for a variety.
So, despite what people may have told you, you really can be an Astronomer and I wouldn't let anything stop you. Taking the academic path, getting a Masters Degree and always being around the professionals, other aspiring astronomers and not rushing through it can lead to some phenomenally great things for you !
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best ! Reach for the stars !
I think that it's great that you have a strong interest in Astronomy and I would advise you to follow through with the studies, training and career ! It's not important what people are saying right now. You probably would not start your career for 8 more years, so you should learn as much as you can and explore the career. Do not worry about the future.
You will be happy to know, however, that South Africa is becoming a leader in radio astronomy ! You have the MeerKAT telescope near Carnarvon and the upcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, which will be hosted in South Africa. South Africa is a leader in astronomical research, enabling groundbreaking discoveries and collaborations with international scientists. How does this sound to you ?
Also, Astronomy is well established in your country and South African astronomers have made significant contributions world wide. Right now there are over 200 Astronomers in your country. This career may be challenging as far as navigating where the opportunities are, but if you go to University and continue on for a Masters Degree, you will meet very important contacts that could boost your possibilities of being offered a career.
It may be true that there are not many positions in the newspaper or on employment websites, but you can explore how Astronomers do obtain their work. It most likely will be a matter of making very strong connections with your professors and Astronomy Department while at University and doing unique and outstanding research for your Masters Degree. The primary niches for your career will be in Research and in Teaching. You can do one or the other or both at the same time.
My next advice for you is to frequently visit Planetariums and Observatories. Get information about The South African Astronomical Observatory (read their website) and visit there. As for Planetariums, visit Iziko Planetarium in Cape Town and the Wits Planetarium in Johannesburg. There is also the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome in Johannesburg. Some time, try to plan a trip to The Naval Hill Planetarium in Bloemfontein and the Sutherland Planetarium even though they're not close by where you live. My High School has a Planetarium and most recently my University obtained a Planetarium. I have also been to The Hayden Planetarium in New York City and when I lived in Los Angeles, I lived near The Griffith Observatory. I can tell you it is an amazing experience at Observatories and Planetariums and I think you will love it. Try to catch different "shows" at the Planetariums for a variety.
So, despite what people may have told you, you really can be an Astronomer and I wouldn't let anything stop you. Taking the academic path, getting a Masters Degree and always being around the professionals, other aspiring astronomers and not rushing through it can lead to some phenomenally great things for you !
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best ! Reach for the stars !
Thank you so much Michelle for taking your time to answer my deepest concern, and would take your advice and now I'll be focusing on finishing High school I'm only waiting for my second term results I can apply universities using them
Masego
You are very welcome for the advice !
Michelle M.
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
1093
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Masego,
Astronomy is fascinating, isn't it? If you are passionate about it, go for it! Dream big! It's absolutely doable!
South Africa has made significant investments in astronomy/astrophysics and offers phantastic research opportunities.
For your education, there are a number of suitable paths. You could enroll for astrophysics/astronomy as your undergraduate degree. Or you could major in physics (preferable at a university that has research activities in astronomy) and specialize in astronomy/astrophysics starting in your Honours year. An astrophysics/astronomy degree has a lot of the same courses as a physics degree. The advantage of a physics program is that you have a broader degree that would be more acceptable if you decide later to pursue a different specialization (e.g. if you want to work in industry). It takes 3 years to earn a bachelors degree. You need another year for Honours. NSFAS can fund your undergraduate studies.
Check out the following universities and the entry requirements for their programs:
Astronomy Department at University of Cape Town has an undergraduate program in astrophysics
https://science.uct.ac.za/department-astronomy.
University of the Witwatersrand has an undergraduate program in astronomy and astrophysics: https://www.wits.ac.za/course-finder/undergraduate/science/astronomy-and-astrophysics. They also have the Wits Centre for Astrophysics: https://www.wits-astro.org.
At the University of KwaZulu-Natal you would register in the M-stream with 2 majors e.g. math and physics. You can choose astronomy as one of your majors: https://astro.ukzn.ac.za/astronomy-major.
At the University of Stellenbosch you would enroll for physics in undergrad: https://physics.sun.ac.za. They have strong research in astrophysics with international collaborations.
The National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme (NASSP) is a multi-node research collaboration: https://www.star.ac.za. The nodes are at UKZN (https://nassp.ukzn.ac.za), NWU (https://natural-sciences.nwu.ac.za/space-research) and UCT (https://science.uct.ac.za/nassp). They are well funded and have bursaries for Honours and postgraduate studies available: https://nassp.ukzn.ac.za/programmes.
Astronomy research requires a lot of big expensive equipment, and you have the following available in South Africa:
South African Astronomical Observatory: https://www.saao.ac.za/
Meerkat: https://www.sarao.ac.za/science/meerkat/
SKA Observatory: https://www.skao.int/en
Also check out professional societies: Astronomical Society of South Africa: https://assa.saao.ac.za/astronomy-in-south-africa/
In astronomy, your job opportunities would be in research and teaching. You'll need almost certainly a PhD, but at least a masters degree. It's not a job that you can do everywhere. You'll go to where the job is, i.e. where a university has a job opening or where a research facility is available.
I hope this helps for now! All the best to you!
KP
Astronomy is fascinating, isn't it? If you are passionate about it, go for it! Dream big! It's absolutely doable!
South Africa has made significant investments in astronomy/astrophysics and offers phantastic research opportunities.
For your education, there are a number of suitable paths. You could enroll for astrophysics/astronomy as your undergraduate degree. Or you could major in physics (preferable at a university that has research activities in astronomy) and specialize in astronomy/astrophysics starting in your Honours year. An astrophysics/astronomy degree has a lot of the same courses as a physics degree. The advantage of a physics program is that you have a broader degree that would be more acceptable if you decide later to pursue a different specialization (e.g. if you want to work in industry). It takes 3 years to earn a bachelors degree. You need another year for Honours. NSFAS can fund your undergraduate studies.
Check out the following universities and the entry requirements for their programs:
Astronomy Department at University of Cape Town has an undergraduate program in astrophysics
https://science.uct.ac.za/department-astronomy.
University of the Witwatersrand has an undergraduate program in astronomy and astrophysics: https://www.wits.ac.za/course-finder/undergraduate/science/astronomy-and-astrophysics. They also have the Wits Centre for Astrophysics: https://www.wits-astro.org.
At the University of KwaZulu-Natal you would register in the M-stream with 2 majors e.g. math and physics. You can choose astronomy as one of your majors: https://astro.ukzn.ac.za/astronomy-major.
At the University of Stellenbosch you would enroll for physics in undergrad: https://physics.sun.ac.za. They have strong research in astrophysics with international collaborations.
The National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme (NASSP) is a multi-node research collaboration: https://www.star.ac.za. The nodes are at UKZN (https://nassp.ukzn.ac.za), NWU (https://natural-sciences.nwu.ac.za/space-research) and UCT (https://science.uct.ac.za/nassp). They are well funded and have bursaries for Honours and postgraduate studies available: https://nassp.ukzn.ac.za/programmes.
Astronomy research requires a lot of big expensive equipment, and you have the following available in South Africa:
South African Astronomical Observatory: https://www.saao.ac.za/
Meerkat: https://www.sarao.ac.za/science/meerkat/
SKA Observatory: https://www.skao.int/en
Also check out professional societies: Astronomical Society of South Africa: https://assa.saao.ac.za/astronomy-in-south-africa/
In astronomy, your job opportunities would be in research and teaching. You'll need almost certainly a PhD, but at least a masters degree. It's not a job that you can do everywhere. You'll go to where the job is, i.e. where a university has a job opening or where a research facility is available.
I hope this helps for now! All the best to you!
KP
Andrew Au
Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, Retired
226
Answers
Updated
Andrew’s Answer
Astronomy is a fascinating subject. I was mesmerized by it in high school over half a century ago too.
If you have decided to pursue a future career in astronomy, more appropriately astrophysics/cosmology, it is imperative to concentrate your academic effort in mathematics and physics first in your secondary school and subsequently in college. It should be appreciated that mathematics is the language of science.
For research positions in astrophysics and cosmology, one would probably need a postgraduate degree, and preferably a Ph.D. You should be prepared for quite a few years of postgraduate study.
We do not have a crystal ball in predicting the future. We do not know how the field of astrophysics and cosmology will evolve in ten years. On the other hand, we can be flexible in our career path to optimize our chance to fulfill our academic/research dream.
If you have decided to pursue a future career in astronomy, more appropriately astrophysics/cosmology, it is imperative to concentrate your academic effort in mathematics and physics first in your secondary school and subsequently in college. It should be appreciated that mathematics is the language of science.
For research positions in astrophysics and cosmology, one would probably need a postgraduate degree, and preferably a Ph.D. You should be prepared for quite a few years of postgraduate study.
We do not have a crystal ball in predicting the future. We do not know how the field of astrophysics and cosmology will evolve in ten years. On the other hand, we can be flexible in our career path to optimize our chance to fulfill our academic/research dream.
Thank you Andrew. It really meant a lot
Masego