Episode 83: Celebrating 20 Years of SALT

With Prof David Buckley

Jacinta and Francois wrap up Season 6 of The Cosmic Savannah with this exciting and reflective episode, discussing the history, science and legacy of the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) which celebrated it’s 20th anniversary in November of 2025.

The team is joined by Professor David Buckley from the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), who served as the project scientist for the SALT project.

In this episode, we discuss the full evolution of SALT, form idea to instrument and all the chaos along the way and also what the future holds for SALT and South African astronomy.

Join us for this fascinating look at the history and continued work of SALT!

Links

SAAO SALT website: https://www.saao.ac.za/explore/our-telescopes/salt/

Acknowledgements

Podcast Manager: Francois Campher
Podcast Assistant Manager: Kaashifa Saloojee
Social Media Manager: Sumari HvN
Transcript: Sisa Shibane
Audio Editing: Nick Rushton