Astronomy in Africa- News and Updates

Titan's Ontario Lacus and Namibia's Etosha Pan Credit: NASA/JPL/ESA

• Researchers in France have discovered new details about a large lake named Ontario Lacus on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. New research indicates that the lakebed surface is exposed and that the liquid level (methane) within the lake has varied. These characteristics make Ontario Lacus remarkably similar to northern Namibia’s Etosha Pan, a lake that is also dry for much of the year, occasionally filling with a shallow layer of water which evaporates.

• Last week in Cape Town, Germany and South Africa announced they would launch a “Year of Science” in order to strengthen science collaboration between the two nations. 41 projects in various science fields, including astronomy, will be funded. The launch included an astronomy symposium, titled “Innovating the Future; Reaching for the Stars.”