Category Archives: South African Astronomers

South Africa is home to many interesting people active in Astronomy.  Some are very famous, some keep to themselves.  Here we introduce some of them, and show the human face of Modern Astronomy.

Kerneels Mulder

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On 11 September 2010 Venus was hidden by the moon in an occultation that was visible from South Africa.  Kerneels Mulder managed to capture the tail end of the occultation in a beautiful series of photographs that have been highlighted internationally. I caught up with him, and asked a few questions: Hi Kerneels, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Could you tell us a little about yourself? How long have you been interested in Astronomy and what … Continue reading →

Luciano Pazzi

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  Early this year, Nigel Observatory (a private observatory built in the suburbs of the East Rand near Johannesburg) was shutdown and its equipment sold off.  I visited the owner, Luciano Pazzi, hoping to buy some of his observing gear and ended up getting a tour of the facilities along with a brief history lesson.  Luciano’s home is warm and hospitable, and we chatted for hours about South African astronomy and his impressions of how it had changed over the … Continue reading →