Under the African Sky

On a hilltop outside the Karoo hamlet of Sutherland, the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) focusses its giant African eye on our universe. You cannot visit the Northern Cape without going on a stargazing safari!

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)South African Tourism

The perfect spot

The reason SALT was erected outside the town of Sutherland, some 370km from Cape Town, is because it is one of a handful of locations in the world that is ideal for stargazing. 

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)South African Tourism

Gateway to the Universe

Here the dark, unpolluted night skies are so clear they offer perfect viewing and the area  is known as the Gateway to the Universe


Gateway to the Universe

Here the dark, unpolluted night skies are so clear they offer perfect viewing and the area is known as the “Gateway to the universe.”

Gateway to the Universe

Here the dark, unpolluted night skies are so clear they offer perfect viewing and the area is known as the “Gateway to the universe.”

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)South African Tourism

Visiting the Telescope

Tourists who visit SALT during the day can book a guided tour of the interpretive visitor centre and a selection of the research telescopes, including SALT, located on an elevated plateau overlooking a vast expanse of the Karoo.

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)South African Tourism

Did You Know

Even quasars can be picked up by the Southern African Large Telescope

Did You Know

Even quasars can be picked up by the Southern African Large Telescope

Did You Know

Even quasars can be picked up by the Southern African Large Telescope

Did You Know

Even quasars can be picked up by the Southern African Large Telescope

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)South African Tourism

Putting South Africa on the Map

SALT is an extraordinary international collaboration and has put South Africa at the forefront of 21st-century scientific exploration. 

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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