ONE begins to reach for the stars well before arriving in Sutherland as immediately after pulling off the N1 at Matjiesfontein, three hours’ drive from Cape Town, the road begins to wind skywards through endless shades of brown, sprinkled occasionally with yellow scrub, but few signs of life other than the occasional lonely sheep.
About 120km later, the harsh surroundings level out high up on what is known as the Karoo Hoogland and on a plateau 1550m above sea level, a rustic sign welcomes us to the little town of Sutherland, once known only for sheep farming but now fondly referred to as the land of stars and snow.
And it is the stars that have put Sutherland on the map, for just 15km out of town and a steep climb up another 250m to an even dizzier height is SALT (the Southern African Large Telescope), which attracts astronomers and the curious from all over the world.
Referred to as Africa’s “gigantic eye in the sky” by former p resident Thabo Mbeki , SALT emerges from its foundations in a rocky outcrop like a giant mushroom surrounded by smaller mushrooms, which are the conventional telescopes belonging to the US, the UK, Poland, Germany, Japan and Korea, located here because the site represents the ideal location to observe the stars.
Here, the night sky is alive with stars twinkling brighter than anywhere else due to the minimal light pollution from the sparse population, while it is seldom overcast and so is typically cold and clear for most of the year, making it the ideal location for the giant eye to observe the stars. The only other sites as perfect as this are in Chile, where a similar telescope exists, and in the Antarctic, where it would be prohibitively expensive to locate a telescope.
The run-down appearance of the exterior of the reception building belies the sophistication of the interior workings. Arriving early for our tour of SALT, we are disappointed to discover we will not be looking through the telescope itself (that is reserved for astronomers, who are strictly allocated time on the telescope) but instead we are to embark on a guided tour of the heart of SALT, perched a little further up on the hill’s highest point. We await the start of the tour by browsing through the rooms of exhibits and illustrations of the universe and individual stars.
Entering the towering dome-shaped structure of SALT is a contrast to the reception building and we gaze at the shiny, 91-segment hexagonal mirror made in Russia surrounded by a maze of equipment and a giant, circular catwalk to give access. We peer through a window into an operating room bulging with hi-tech equipment being monitored by scientists.
With its giant mirror permanently tilted to enhance observation, the telescope is able to record distant stars, galaxies and quasars a billion times too faint to be seen with the naked eye, positioning South Africa at the forefront of science and providing opportunities for young scientists in a hi-tech environment.
Our opportunity to see the stars in Sutherland comes a little later at Sterland, a resort just a kilometre from the centre of town, where Jurg Wagener has five 11-inch Celestron GPS-linked telescopes, which track objects on demand.
With eight other visitors, we gather in Wagener’s boma, protected from the lights of the occasional passing car, while the cold, clear night air envelops us. We are surrounded by stars from horizon to horizon, clearly visible to the naked eye. With a whirring sound, the first telescope focuses on an object, but even Wagener ’s introduction does not adequately prepare us for the spectacle we are about to witness.
I peer through the tiny round glass to be greeted by a mass of bright, white light, the dazzling jewel box of Scorpio, Venus and Jupiter, which is so bright I am forced to turn away momentarily. Then we move on to Capello, which is actually four stars made up of dazzling red and orange colours. Close to the Southern Cross is Alpha Centauri, which is a triple star and our nearest celestial neighbour; not far away lie the two Magellanic Clouds, our neighbouring satellite galaxies, and away from the Milky Way we peer into the cosmos towards a universe so far in time and distance that it is difficult to comprehend.
Wagener is as entertaining as he is knowledgeable and he breaks to give us a lecture on the universe and show a DVD on Sutherland before a grand finale of more spectacular stars in the boma. Although he is unassuming, Wagener may well have the mantle of Mr Sutherland for, apart from being an expert on the night sky, he is the local estate agent, owns four guesthouses, a guest farm and the campsite, as well as running a restaurant. He also conducts walking tours of the town which cannot be that taxing as, apart from the wide, clean main street, there is not very much to Sutherland.
Having said that, it’s not only the stars and SALT that bring people here. Being the coldest place in the country, it snows frequently and this and the bracing cold attract visitors, as does the vast open space and the harsh Karoo landscape, which some liken to a moonscape, with its free-roaming herds of springbok, endangered riverine rabbits and eagles.
The Dutch Reformed Church, around which the town developed, is a beautiful building even for those not interested in churches. Its pointed, rough stone and tall gabled roof give it an impressive stature, while inside it houses a huge German-designed organ that makes it worthwhile to attend a service. The church was once occupied by British troops and used as a fort during the Anglo-Boer War.
To cater for the regular visitors, there are several guesthouses, named after the stars, and a few restaurants, including Wagener’s cleverly named “Halley se komeet”. No prizes for guessing which comet this takes its name from.
• SALT, (023) 571-1205, tours are R30 a person.
• Sterland, (023) 571-1405, star gazing is R50 a person.
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Article source: http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/Content.aspx?id=170116