Zimbabwean Astronomical Society

An event marking the introduction of the Zimbabwean Astronomical Society took place on Saturday the 19th of October at the University of Zimbabwe! This was supported by the department of Space Science and Applied Physics, and chaired by the ZAS VP Jason Shingirai Makechemu . Many events took place including science talks by Makhosi Mpofu and Jason Shingirai Makechemu where they talked about the effects of space weather on technology and our environment, and the properties of local and distant galaxies respectively! 🌌 . This was followed by a discussion on astronomy in Shona where we looked at the names of various astronomical bodies, and indigenous astronomical knowledge. . We were then blessed to have the Astronomical Society of Harare give a talk on their activities and amateur astronomy, followed by an evening of observations where we managed to observe the once in an 80,000 year comet “C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS”! ☄️ . We had a great turnout where UZ space science students, representatives from Arundel and St George’s school, and lecturers from various scientific departments at UZ were present. As well as a keen crowd of people interested in astronomy. Many people were given information on how to join ZAS, as well as the astronomical society of Harare 😁 . Many many thanks must be extended to Gift Muchatibaya, Terence Mushore, Emmanuel Mashonjowa, Mr. Peter Morris, Mr. Tony Alegria, Makhosi Mpofu, Ms. Michaela Baker and Jason Shingirai Makechemu for helping make this event a resounding success 🙌🏾

Today, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to Ms. Thobekile Ngwane , the President of the Zimbabwean Astronomical Society Our journey with Ms. Ngwane began in July 2022, through a recommendation by Prof. Shazrene Mohammed, as we sought a regional citizen science collaborator from Zimbabwe. It has been a true blessing to work with her group, as she has made remarkable contributions by actively engaging students from Zimbabwe in our projects. Ms. Ngwane’s passion for astronomy outreach has been evident since her undergraduate days at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), where she co-founded the Applied Physics Astronomy Club. This initiative was aimed at spreading the love and knowledge of astronomy among students. Her dedication to the field grew further when she pursued a master’s degree in Astronomy at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. During this time, she co-founded the Zimbabwe Astronomical Society (ZAS), which has since become an official entity uniting professional astronomers in Zimbabwe. In recognition of her outstanding work, and through the generosity of the African Astronomical Society (AfAS) and Dr. Charles Takalani, the AfAS Secretariat, we are proud to officially donate a Celestron NexStar 60 GT 60mm Refractor Telescope to the Zimbabwe Astronomical Society. This gift is intended to support and enhance astronomy education and outreach in Zimbabwe, as our collaboration with ZAS continues to grow.

Intro to ZAS event finally taking place this Saturday at the University of Zimbabwe. There are exciting opportunities to use telescopes and learn about space science research for all those willing and able to attend! Free food and drinks provided 🙂

On Saturday the 12th of October at Mukuvisi Woodlands, VP Jason Shingirai Makechemu presented his research, and the Zimbabwean Astronomical Society to the Astronomical Society of Harare. . It was great to see what kind of things ASH are involved in, as well as learning about amateur astronomy from two other speakers! . Many things were discussed between us, including how ZAS and ASH can be involved in mutually beneficial partnerships, more on this to follow soon 👀💫

For World Space Week Association 2024, ZAS hosted an event at the National University of Science and Technology centred around this year’s theme “space and the climate”! This was chaired by Munashe Manyevere 🙂 . This event was hosted through the NUST department of applied physics of which the ZAS education and outreach chair Prof. Golden Gadzirayi Nyambuya wa Soko-Mkanya is the head of. . Prof. Nyambuya gave a presentation on the Faint Young Sun Paradox and its relevance to this year's theme for world space week. General Secretary Praise Nesvinga gave a presentation on the background of World Space Week and the Zimbabwean Astronomical Society. The event concluded with the distribution of ISO certified solar viewing spectacles and getting a brief chance to observe the sun, and learning how to use a Galileoscope. . Students from many departments at NUST were present for this event, including from the departments of Applied Physics, Computer Science, Biotechnology, Informatics and Analytics, Geographical Information Science and Remote Sensing and Environmental Science. . Thanks to Praise Nesvinga, Prof. Nyambuya, Munashe Manyevere, Bekithemba Sibanda, and Khesani Chilumani for sorting out this great event at NUST 🙌🏾

Albeit slightly delayed, we have a blog post summarising everything that us at ZAS were involved in during the #IAUGA2024. From collaborations, research, networking, and fun activities! Look at our website to see not only this blog post, but other activities that we have been up to since ZAS has started 😁 . #zimbabwe #astronomy #zas

ZAS General Secretary Praise Nesvinga's research delves into how galaxies move and expand within clusters, using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. . This image showcases the redshift measurements from different spectral lines, highlighting the consistency across the sample. Curious about the methods and implications for understanding the universe's expansion? . Dive into the full study -> https://shorturl.at/UihYJ

Vice-president Jason Shingirai Makechemu gave a talk at the University of Zimbabwe where he emphasised the importance of inter-Zimbabwean collaboration for the good of the Zimbabwean Astronomical Society. It was a great honour for him as he has always wanted to raise awareness of Astronomy in Zimbabwe, this is only the beginning 😃 . An informal question and answer session was held afterwards, after presenting his PhD research, and research that followed on from his Oxford University internship 💫 . #zas #astronomy #zimbabwe

Jason Shingirai Makechemu will be giving a seminar on his PhD research, and the Zimbabwean Astronomical Society, including potential collaboration opportunities between ZAS and the Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency - this will be a great opportunity to build connections between the two respective organisations 😃

It was a great honour to give a talk on my PhD research at the Ethiopian Space Sciences and Geospatial Institute 😁. I also shared plenty of information about the Zimbabwean Astronomical Society, I’m looking forward to future collaborations between our two great countries 🇪🇹🇿🇼 🙌🏾