<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'>Hi there,<br><br>South African Astronomical Observatory will have a free public lecture on Saturday, September 10 at 20h00. Pierre van Heerden will talk about "Robotic Telescopes - Revolutionalising the way we look at the stars" After the talk, there will be tours of the library, Mclean telescope and stargazing, if the weather is good.<br><br>Abstract: <br><div>Astronomy
has been revolutionised by the use of computers, as with most
other scientific disciplines. Computers not only let us process and
analyse data much more quickly, but they also allow us to control telescopes
remotely and even build telescopes that can function with no human
operators. During this talk, Pierre will briefly outline the evolution of
robotic telescopes over the last 30 years, the impact on astronomy and
the relevance to the specific case of Astronomy in South Africa. He will then
finish off by discussing the work in progress on the Alan Cousins
Telescope, the only truly South African robotic telescope. <br></div><br><br><div><span name="x"></span>-- <br>Regards<br><br>Thembela Mantungwa<br>S.A. Astronomical Observatory<br>Tel: 021 460 9319<br>Fax: 086 612 7502<br>Mob: 071 105 0109<br>Email: tm@saao.ac.za<br>Website: www.saao.ac.za / www.salt.ac.za<br><span name="x"></span><br></div><br></div></body></html>