The University of the Western Cape (UWC) recently participated in an exciting international mission to study Pluto, whose atmosphere is expected to freeze as it moves farther from the Sun. The goal was to observe a rare event involving Pluto, which will provide critical insights into the dwarf planet’s atmosphere and offer a unique hands-on training experience for UWC students and staff in advanced astronomy.
The assignment took place On August 4, with the UWC team – consisting of Professor Nico Orce, Dr Siyambonga Matshawule, Dr Cebo Ngwetsheni, Dr Craig Mehl, and Elijah Akakpo – joining Professors Michael Skrutskie and Professor Anne Verbiscer from the University of Virginia and NASA. They travelled to an area 40 km from Upington in the Northern Cape with a new 0.5-meter telescope donated by the University of Virginia. Pluto reached its closest point to our Sun in 1989. As it moves away from the Sun, its atmosphere will likely collapse and freeze on its surface in the next few years.
Setting up the telescope and getting everything ready was a major operation. A group of enthusiastic students and staff from UWC’s Physics & Astronomy department, led by Professor Orce and Dr Matshawule, worked hard to prepare for the observation. They even had to modify the telescope using 3D printing technology in the Modern African Nuclear Detector Laboratory at UWC.
On the night, the team observed Pluto’s occultation, which lasted only a few seconds but provided crucial information about Pluto’s atmosphere. The occultation occurs when the dwarf planet passes in front of a distant star, temporarily blocking or dimming the star’s light. This eclipse of the star allows scientists to study Pluto in detail. This mission was not just about the data but also a valuable training opportunity for students and staff, teaching them how to set up and use advanced astronomical equipment.
“Occultation campaigns for a predicted event can range from a single telescope trying to record a successful shadow passage to up to 100 telescopes strategically distributed to map out the shape of an object and discover or characterise satellites,” said Prof Skrutski.
“Staffing so many telescopes provides an opportunity to train students, amateurs, and even theoretical physicists in the art of being in exactly in the right place at precisely the right time, pointed and the correct faint star, and making all the equipment run smoothly to catch an event that may only last a few tenths of a second!”
The images taken during the observation show the team in action and the moment Pluto passed in front of the star. This successful mission highlighted UWC’s commitment to cutting-edge research and collaboration with international experts.
“The fact that my laboratory and team were able to support this NASA mission, together with the excitement that this generated among our students, is incredibly rewarding. This is a researcher’s dream – to have a place where science is done with high pleasure and dedication, where ‘Monday starts on Saturday’ as the Strugatsky brothers described in their 1965 novel. Necessary modifications of the GPS software and focal point of the Newtonian telescope were needed and implemented with extra spacers that were 3D printed in our lab. UWC students and staff were also trained in setting up and using the telescope software,” said Prof Orce.
UWC is looking forward to more astronomical adventures in the future, thanks to a ZWO432 camera and a GPS timer module donated by Prof Skrutskie.
Prof Orce expressed his gratitude to Loïs Dipennar, the Institutional Planner for UWC, and Umesh Bawa, Director of the UWC International Relations Office, who ensured everything was in place for the momentous event.
