South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO)

A national optical astronomy facility located at Sutherland and Cape Town in South Africa. It operates under the auspices of the Foundation for Research Development. The SAAO was formed in 1972 by merging the old Royal Observatory at Cape Town and the Republic Observatory, Johannesburg. Some of their telescopes were moved to the Sutherland site and, in 1974, a 1.9-metre (75-inch) telescope was purchased from the Radcliffe Observatory, Pretoria, and also moved. Some smaller instruments remain at Cape Town, which is the administrative headquarters.