There is no better place to study Astronomy than in South Africa – that's how world renowned Astrophysicist Professor Thebe Medupe concluded his highly anticipated lecture at Scifest Africa this year.
There is no better place to study Astronomy than in South Africa – that's how world renowned Astrophysicist Professor Thebe Medupe concluded his highly anticipated lecture at Scifest Africa this year.
“The reason South African astronomers are at the forefront of research is that government has heavily invested in this sector and we have the best facilities to study the universe,” he said.
A large audience filled the Monument's Olive Schreiner Hall on Tuesday 18 March to listen to Medupe speak on African Astronomy, as well as his involvement as the head of the Timbuktu Science Project.
The Timbuktu Science Project’s aim is to search for scientific knowledge in ancient manuscripts discovered in the Malian city of Timbuktu.
About 2 000 of these ancient manuscripts were destroyed by insurgents after Northern Mali's 2013 conflict.
The reason Medupe gave for this was ideological differences.
However, a large portion of the manuscripts were protected.
People either shipped them to more stable parts of Mali, or hid them in the walls of private homes or mosques.
There isn’t a single broad definition of African Astronomy, but it can be understood in three stages said Medupe.
The first of these is cultural astronomy.
According to Medupe, ancient African people originally used the stars and moon to tell stories.
The second stage of African Astronomy is known as medieval astronomy.
There is evidence of African people practicing mathematics and astronomy 800 years ago.
This was primarily driven by the need to pray at the correct time and direction because they were Muslims, said Medupe.
The third part of African Astronomy is modern astronomy.
This is similar to the astronomy we practice today.
The proof of its existence in Africa can be found in a 100 page book by Abul Abbas written in 1732.
In this book, Abbas correctly drew a model of the Solar System, with the order of the planets also correct.
There were also diagrams that showed that Abbas and those who lived at the same time as him could accurately measure latitude and longitude.
The people of that time also used the sun and moon to tell the time.
“The problem is that there are not enough resources and teachers do not know how to teach learners abut indigenous African knowledge,” said Medupe.
