Conveners
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics Session 1
- Geoff Beck (University of the Witwatersrand)
Astrophysics & Space Science: Space Science: Session 1
- Ruhann Steyn (Centre for Space Research, North-West University)
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics: Session 2
- There are no conveners in this block
Astrophysics & Space Science: Space Science: Session 2
- Zama Katamzi-Joseph
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics: Session 3
- There are no conveners in this block
Astrophysics & Space Science: Space Science: Session 3
- Lerato Shikwambana (South African National Space Agency)
Astrophysics & Space Science: Space Science: Session 4
- John Bosco Habarulema (South African National Space Agency)
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics: Session 4
- There are no conveners in this block
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics: Session 5
- There are no conveners in this block
Astrophysics & Space Science: Space Science: Session 5
- DuToit Strauss (North-West University)
Astrophysics & Space Science: Space Science: Session 6
- Ruhann Steyn (Centre for Space Research, North-West University)
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics: Session 7
- There are no conveners in this block
Astrophysics & Space Science: Space Science: Session 7
- Katlego Moloto
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics: Session 8
- There are no conveners in this block
Astrophysics & Space Science: Space Science: Session 8
- Ruhann Steyn (Centre for Space Research, North-West University)
Astrophysics & Space Science: Space Science: Session 9
- Zama Katamzi-Joseph
Astrophysics & Space Science: Space Science: Session 11
- There are no conveners in this block
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics and Space Science Division Meeting
- Ruhann Steyn (Centre for Space Research, North-West University)
- Geoff Beck (University of the Witwatersrand)
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics: Session 9
- There are no conveners in this block
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics: Session 6
- There are no conveners in this block
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics: Session 11
- There are no conveners in this block
Astrophysics & Space Science: Astrophysics: Session 10
- There are no conveners in this block
Astrophysics & Space Science: Space Science: Session 10
- There are no conveners in this block
-
Andrรฉ DeGoede (North West University)07/07/2026, 09:30Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
This paper presents the design and development of a GPU-based wideband spectrometer for radio astronomy. The system aims to provide a cost-effective alternative to FPGA-based spectrometers by utilizing commercially available graphics processing units (GPUs) for high-speed signal processing. Implemented using an NVIDIA RTX 4090 GPU, the spectrometer achieves real-time Fast Fourier Transform...
Go to contribution page -
Tshimangadzo M. Matamba (South African National Space Agency (SANSA))07/07/2026, 09:30Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) receivers are used to study the ionospheric scintillation over Africa during the ascending phase of solar cycle 25 for the years 2020 to 2025. The amplitude (S4) scintillation is characterized for receivers located in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. The statistics of S4 indicate that in...
Go to contribution page -
David Buckley (SAAO/UCT)07/07/2026, 09:50Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
I will review plans for global transient and detection networks of the future. The BRICS+ astronomy flagship programme, entitled the BRICS Intelligent Telescope and Data Network (BITDN), aims to harness existing and future facilities within BRICS+ countries for automated transient observations, both their detection and followup. Likewise a smaller Africa initiative, the African Integrated...
Go to contribution page -
Golekamang Thaganyana (North-West University)07/07/2026, 09:50Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
This study presents observations of large- and medium-scale poleward travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) originating from the geomagnetic equator over the African-European sector during the 15-19 July 2012 geomagnetic storm. The observation of poleward TIDs were made using the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) total electron content (TEC) data to obtain the two dimensional...
Go to contribution page -
Dr Hendrik Jacobus van Heerden (University of the Free State)07/07/2026, 10:10Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
This work presents the design and implementation of TelServer, a modular observatory control system developed to integrate telescope and dome subsystems within a unified communication framework. The system interfaces with a DFM Telescope Control System (TCS) via RS232, while dome motion and shutter operations are controlled through programmable logic controllers (PLCs). A socket-based...
Go to contribution page -
Prof. Zama Katamzi-Joseph07/07/2026, 10:10Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Plasma bubbles are pockets of abrupt significant depletions in background plasma variations. These depletions are ubiquitous in the nighttime F-region and topside ionosphere at equatorial and low latitudes. There are sometimes ionospheric irregularities of various scales within the bubbles, which may cause ionospheric scintillation. Scintillation can have a substantial impact on radio signals...
Go to contribution page -
Edmund Kyazze (North-West University)07/07/2026, 11:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
We investigate the dynamical impact of a time-dependent curvatureโscalar coupling function $S(t)$ within a modified scalarโtensor framework. By analysing the generalized acceleration equation, we show that, in contrast to standard $\Lambda$CDM, where pressureless matter contributes exclusively to deceleration, modifications induced by $S(t)$ alter the gravitational response, leading to a...
Go to contribution page -
Mr Thato Maja (North-West University)07/07/2026, 11:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The extreme geomagnetic storm in May 2024 was a landmark space-weather event, characterised by G5-level conditions, solar wind speeds exceeding 900 km/s, and a Dst reaching -406 nT. This presentation provides a comprehensive analysis of the global response of the thermosphere and ionosphere to this historic forcing. Utilising data from the Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD)...
Go to contribution page -
Jaydon Durow07/07/2026, 11:20Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The late time evolution of large scale structure (LSS) in our Universe is heavily influenced by early Universe physics. But typically we limit our tests to the $\Lambda$CDM model, which limits how we can examine what effect early time conditions have on the Universe and its evolution. Cosmological simulations, like the Simba-C simulation, are useful tools for modeling galaxy formation and...
Go to contribution page -
phelokazi fodo07/07/2026, 11:20Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Abstract
Nighttime medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) are wavelike plasma structures in the ionospheric F-region that can affect radio communication and space weather forecasting. These disturbances appear as dark bands in airglow images obtained from all-sky imagers (ASIs). This study investigates characteristics of MSTIDs over two conjugate ASI stations, i.e.,...
Go to contribution page -
Ms Sibahle Mbatha (University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN);South African National Space Agency (SANSA))07/07/2026, 11:40Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GIC) occur when rapid variations happen in the Earthโs magnetic field during geomagnetic storms due to space weather events. Such variations induce electric fields in the ground, which in turn drive unwanted currents in long conductors. As a way of assessing the magnitude of the GIC expected, empirical model is developed. This study presents the magnetic field...
Go to contribution page -
Olebogeng Tlhapane (Centre for Space Research, North-West University)07/07/2026, 11:40Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
We examine interacting vacuum energy (IVE) models involving energy transfer between vacuum energy and cold dark matter, such as: $(i)\ Q = \iota HV$, $(ii)\ Q = \xi H\rho_c$, and $(iii)\ Q=3\eta H\frac{V\rho_c}{\rho_c+V}$ with the aim of addressing the cosmological tensions: $H_0$ and $\sigma_8$. To assess the cosmological viability of these IVE models, we constrain their dynamics through a...
Go to contribution page -
Mr Ishaan Bhatt (University of Michigan and South African National Space Agency)07/07/2026, 12:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The ionospheric response to geomagnetic storms is an important space weather phenomenon caused by solar events such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The ionosphere is important for long distance high frequency (HF) communication. The scientific understanding of the ionospheric response during extreme geomagnetic storm is essential in mitigating the impacts in an operational space weather...
Go to contribution page -
Marcel van der Westhuizen (North-West University)07/07/2026, 12:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
We present Kosmulator IDE, a modular extension of the Kosmulator code [1] designed to constrain interacting dark energy (IDE) models within a fast and flexible Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) environment. Kosmulator is a vectorised, Python-based inference tool developed for rapid testing of cosmological models at the background level, offering significant speed improvements compared to...
Go to contribution page -
Moorane Emily Makwela (student)07/07/2026, 12:20Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
We investigate whether the stellar massโspin relation of galaxies depends on environment, and whether any such dependence is direct or mediated through galaxy morphology, using the Simba cosmological simulations . We construct a well-defined galaxy sample at redshift zero and measure the relation between stellar mass and specific angular momentum, quantifying its slope, normalisation, and...
Go to contribution page -
Mr Mbhasobhi Manqele (University of KwaZulu-Natal)07/07/2026, 14:40Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The expansion of Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) networks in South Africa is limited by the high cost of geodetic-grade infrastructure, resulting in sparse coverage from networks such as TrigNet and reduced capability for centimetre-level RTK positioning and ionospheric monitoring in many regions. This study presents the design and evaluation of a low-cost, low-power GNSS RTK...
Go to contribution page -
Xola Ndaliso (University of the Witwatersrand)07/07/2026, 14:40Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Galaxy clusters are laboratories for studying the interplay between the hot intra-cluster medium (ICM) and the galaxies embedded within it, offering key insights into the environmental processes driving galaxy evolution. We use X-ray and \hi spectral line observations of the \textit{z}~$\sim$~0.042 Abell 3408 galaxy cluster to investigate the influence of the hot X-ray emitting intra-cluster...
Go to contribution page -
Mr ZOTHILE DLAMINI (University of KwaZulu Natal)07/07/2026, 15:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The total electron content (TEC) refers to the total amount of free electrons along the ray path of a 1 square meter cross-section spanning from the ground through the ionosphere to a satellite, and is measured in TECU, where 1 TECU is 1016 electrons/m2. TEC enhancements are observed by a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver in Zambia on 24, 27 Feb, and 1 Mar. Three additional GPS...
Go to contribution page -
Craig Smith (University of the Western Cape)07/07/2026, 15:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) in galaxies is typically only directly detected out to a galactocentric radius imposed by the sensitivity of current radio observations, rather than the true physical extent of the HI disk. As a result, the low surface-brightness outskirts of HI disks - where environmental effects may be most pronounced - remain largely unexplored, despite being key to...
Go to contribution page -
SIYABONGA CHILIZA (UKZN, SA Airforce, SAIP, SACNASP)07/07/2026, 15:20Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The mesosphereโlower thermosphere (MLT) is a dynamically complex region where gravity wave breaking, atmospheric tides and planetary waves drive the large-scale circulation, and where tidal motions play a fundamental role in modulating wind variability and vertical coupling processes. Understanding the long-term behaviour of mesospheric wind velocity and tidal amplitude is essential for...
Go to contribution page -
Mr Karabo Khosa (North-West university-Centre of Space Research)07/07/2026, 15:20Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes, making them some of the brightest sources in the Universe. We combine MIGHTEE radio data with WISE mid-infrared and HSC-SSP optical data in the COSMOS and XMM-LSS fields to investigate the radio properties of AGN populations. We found 3,239 and 5,394 radio detected sources in COSMOS and XMM-LSS respectively....
Go to contribution page -
Lwandile Gwebushe (Rhodes University)07/07/2026, 15:40Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
We present MeerKAT HI observations of galaxies in the core of the Shapley Supercluster, one of the most massive structures in the local Universe. Our sample of HI-detected galaxies in A3558 and SC1329 allows us to examine how cold-gas content and star formation evolve in an extreme, high-density environment. Galaxies in the SSC-core lie systematically below field HI scaling relations, showing...
Go to contribution page -
Dr Geoff Murphy (University of the Western Cape)08/07/2026, 09:30Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Foreground contamination remains one of the central challenges in 21 cm intensity mapping, and as experiments become more sensitive, our analysis methods need to keep pace. I'll present a Bayesian forward-modelling framework for jointly separating foregrounds and the 21 cm signal in single-dish data cubes, using Gibbs sampling and Gaussian Constrained Realisations (GCR).
Go to contribution page
The key challenge we... -
Siyanda Hlathi (University of KwaZulu-Natal and SANSA)08/07/2026, 09:30Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
This study investigates the mesoscale interaction between thermospheric neutral winds and electric fields in the F-region ionosphere in the presence of an auroral arc using data from the SuperDARN radar network and a Scanning Doppler Imager (SDI) at Kevo, northern Finland (69.76ยฐ N, 27.01ยฐ E). Observed perturbed wind patterns are attributed to enhanced ion drag caused by increased plasma...
Go to contribution page -
Lungelo Chabaku (University of zululand)08/07/2026, 09:50Track D - Astrophysics & Space SciencePoster Presentation
The discovery of exoplanets has revolutionized modern Astronomy and the way we understand planetary motion and our planetary system. The transit method as a technique, used to look for extrasolar planets, is one of the most effective techniques in detecting exoplanets. This study focuses on the principles, applications and challenges of the transit method in identifying exoplanets. Moreover,...
Go to contribution page -
Mr Sanele Lionel Khanyile (South African National Space Agency and Rhodes University)08/07/2026, 09:50Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
This study investigates geomagnetic field variations over the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) using three regional models developed with the Revised Spherical Cap Harmonic Analysis (R-SCHA). The combined models cover a broad region from 90ยฐW to 35ยฐE in longitude and from 5ยฐS to 49ยฐS in latitude. To effectively capture spatial variability, the study area is divided into three overlapping spherical...
Go to contribution page -
Mr Hudson Mims (University of Michigan and South African National Space Agency)08/07/2026, 10:10Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) are signatures of Atmospheric Gravity Waves (AGWs) in the ionosphere. They can be studied using different ionospheric parameters such as plasma temperature, electron density and altitudes of respective ionospheric layers.
Go to contribution page
Distinguishing effects of TIDs on the overall system behaviour requires estimation of background conditions. This presentation will... -
Mosima Masipa (University of the Western Cape)08/07/2026, 11:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Radio frequency Interference (RFI) can contaminate data collected by radio telescopes, making it difficult to distinguish between the target cosmological signal and artificial signals caused by RFI sources. Manually flagging RFI is time-consuming,so we turn to machine learning algorithms as a possible solution to detect/flag these RFI signals. We implemented a UNet, which is a Convolutional...
Go to contribution page -
Prof. John Bosco Habarulema (South African National Space Agency)08/07/2026, 11:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
This talk presents a new empirical vertical EรB drift model developed using groundโbased magnetometer, radar, and satellite data over equatorial latitude regions. The model is constructed by combining global data from the Communications and Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite, magnetometer derived vertical drifts estimated using the differential magnetometer approach and...
Go to contribution page -
Michelle Lochner (University of the Western Cape)08/07/2026, 11:20Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The next generation of telescopes such as the SKA and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will produce enormous data sets, far too large for traditional analysis techniques. Machine learning has proven invaluable in handling massive data volumes and automating many tasks traditionally done by human scientists. In this talk, I will explore the use of machine learning for automating the discovery and...
Go to contribution page -
Ms Isabella Maria Goodwin (University of Cape Town)08/07/2026, 11:30Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
In low Earth orbit (LEO), cosmic ray interactions with spacecraft materials produce a complex secondary radiation field of neutrons, gamma rays, and charged particles, that significantly contributes to radiation exposure of astronauts. The radiation environment remains challenging to characterise due to the physical restrictions associated with measurements onboard spacecraft, and the...
Go to contribution page -
Verlon Etsebeth (University of the Western Cape)08/07/2026, 11:40Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The rapid growth of astronomical survey data presents both an opportunity and a challenge: while large datasets increase the chances of discovering rare or unexpected sources, manual inspection quickly becomes impractical at scale. This work presents the development and application of anomaly detection pipelines using Astronomaly, an active learning-based framework, applied to two distinct...
Go to contribution page -
Hanwool Koo (University of the Western Cape)08/07/2026, 12:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Developing automated algorithms for detecting anomalies is increasingly essential for uncovering previously unknown phenomena in astrophysics and cosmology from large volumes of radio spectrograms. To achieve this, we explore machine learning techniques for anomaly detection in the time-frequency dynamic spectra of the radio data. We evaluate our algorithms on simulated SPARKESX: Single-dish...
Go to contribution page -
Thembalethu Zulu08/07/2026, 12:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Periodic solar wind streams observed at the Lagrange point L1 provide critical insight into coronal hole structures during solar minima. This study characterises and identifies the coronal sources of periodic solar wind streams measured at L1 during the last three solar minima between cycles 22โ23, 23โ24, and 24โ25. In situ solar wind speed and heliospheric magnetic field data from the...
Go to contribution page -
Bernard Swanepoel (School of Computer Science and Information Systems, North-West University)08/07/2026, 12:20Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The McIntosh sunspot classification system categorises sunspots according to their morphology and size. Because this process is typically performed manually, it is susceptible to labeling errors. In contrast, deep learning methods learn features directly from the data and classify samples based on these learned representations. In this paper, an unsupervised approach to McIntosh sunspot...
Go to contribution page -
Johan Joubert (NWU)08/07/2026, 14:50Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The nature and structure of the heliospheric magnetic field play an important role in the transport of energetic particles throughout the heliosphere, but due to solar wind turbulence these magnetic field-lines become stochastic. To simulate the meandering of the Parker spiral due to turbulence, the convection-diffusion equation for the field-line density distribution, which describes the...
Go to contribution page -
Sello Motsoane08/07/2026, 15:10Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The numerical modeling of energetic particle transport in turbulent astrophysical plasmas, governed by
Go to contribution page
Fokker-Planck equations, is a cornerstone of modern space physics. Methods based on Stochastic Differential
Equations (SDEs) have gained popularity over traditional finite-difference schemes due to their unconditional
stability and suitability for parallel computing. The accuracy and... -
THABO MAHLATJI (NWU Student)08/07/2026, 15:30Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The rigidity spectra of cosmic ray antiprotons and protons have been measured simultaneously, averaged over a Bartel rotation (~27 days), by AMS-02 detector between May 2011 and June 2022. These precise observations provide a more powerful context to study charge-sign-dependent modulation in the A < 0 magnetic cycle, through the period covering the solar magnetic field reversal, and in the A >...
Go to contribution page -
Aimee Dumont08/07/2026, 15:50Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is an accurate and non-invasive method that measures soil moisture estimates. This allows for continuous monitoring of soil moisture estimations at large-scale measurements, which is important for optimising irrigation and conserving water resources in the agricultural sector. It is based on the detection of fast (epithermal) neutrons, which are produced from...
Go to contribution page -
DuToit Strauss (North-West University)09/07/2026, 09:30Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The Deployable Low-Band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (DLITE) is a four element interferometric radio telescope, nominally operating in the 30 - 50 MHz band. Although the instrument is primarily designed to study transient ionospheric phenomena it is, of course, also sensitive to other transient phenomena, such as solar radio bursts. Recently, a South African DLITE station, SA-DLITE, was...
Go to contribution page -
Lebogang Mfulwane (Centre for Space Research, North-West University,)09/07/2026, 09:30Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are bright, millisecond radio pulses occurring at cosmological distances. The nature of these sources is still unknown. Upon localisation of the repeating FRBs, luminous compact persistent radio sources (PRSs) can be detected in some cases. Studying the PRSs may give us clues about the immediate environments of the FRBs, which in turn provides insights into the nature...
Go to contribution page -
OWEN BEUKES (NORTH WEST UNIVERSITY)09/07/2026, 09:50Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Using high resolution RSS longslit data recently obtained from SALT, we have obtained the mass distribution in a nearby gas-rich dwarf galaxy - UGCA 014. In this talk, I will present the first rotation curve for this
Go to contribution page
galaxy derived from its Hฮฒ ionized gas component. I will show that the rotation curve exhibits a steep rise in the inner kiloparsec, reaching a velocity of โผ42 km/s, and remains... -
Ms Innocentia Itumeleng Ramokgaba (1. School of Physical & Chemical Sciences, North-West University, Mmabatho, South Africa. 2. Centre of Space Research, North-west University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.)09/07/2026, 09:50Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The recent observations of galactic deuteron (D) from AMS-02 and Voyager 1 detectors provide interesting surprises to the established paradigm of the secondary origin of galactic D. In this study a comprehensive 3D numerical model is used to simulate the solar modulation of D and protons (p) at the Earth from 2006 to 2014, spanning time frames that include solar maximum activity and the...
Go to contribution page -
Bosco Oryema (Centre for Space Research, North-West University, Potchefstroom, 2531, North West, South Africa), Joseph Omojola (North-West University)09/07/2026, 10:10Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Much as air travel has become increasingly important in todayโs society for quickly connecting people and places, aircraft and their occupants (passengers and aircrews) are exposed to enhanced levels of ionizing radiation at flight altitudes (8 โ 12 km). The space radiation, mainly originating from the Sun and galactic sources, may degrade essential aircraft subcomponents and cause...
Go to contribution page -
Geoff Beck (University of the Witwatersrand)09/07/2026, 10:10Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
MeerKAT is currently a leading radio interferometer in the frequency range from 500 MHz to 1.6 GHz. So far, WIMP searches have been conducted in legacy survey data of galaxy clusters (MGCLS), archival Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) data, and open-time observations of the dwarf galaxy Reticulum II. In this talk we will present the status of current results from these WIMP searches. Highlighting...
Go to contribution page -
Christo Pretorius09/07/2026, 11:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Astrospheres are large scale magnetized plasma structures formed by the interaction between stellar winds and the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). These systems play a fundamental role in regulating the transport and modulation of energetic charged particles. In this study, we will investigate the astrosphere of the runaway O-type star $\lambda$ Cephei using three dimensional...
Go to contribution page -
Dr Katlego Moloto (North-West University)09/07/2026, 11:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive technique for field-scale soil moisture monitoring in agricultural systems. However, the accuracy of CRNS measurements is significantly influenced by above-ground biomass water equivalent (BWE), which varies dynamically throughout crop growth cycles. This study employs URANOS (Ultra Rapid Adaptable Neutron-Only...
Go to contribution page -
Mr Johan Nel (Centre for Space Research (NWU))09/07/2026, 11:20Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Accurate stellar velocity dispersion measurements are of great importance for
Go to contribution page
understanding the dynamical masses, evolutionary stages, and are fundamen-
tal in studying the gravitational potential of galaxies. The accuracy of these
measurements depends on the coverage of the spectrograph, the redshift, the
signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and the wavelength range used to perform... -
Prof. Eamon Scullion (University of Northumbria Newcastle upon Tyne (UK))09/07/2026, 11:30Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
High-resolution observations of the solar chromosphere have revealed ubiquitous prominent spiralling structures. These structures have been linked to the swirling downflows present in the intergranular lanes of the solar photosphere, existing as vortex tubes. Vortex tubes have been proposed as conduits for energy transfer throughout the solar atmosphere, channelling energy in the form of...
Go to contribution page -
Mkhatshwa Xolile (University Of Venda)09/07/2026, 11:40Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The study of astrophysical transients has traditionally been hampered by delays
Go to contribution page
between multi-wavelength observations, often causing crucial early-time information
to be lost. The MeerLICHT optical telescope at SAAO in Sutherland was designed to
overcome this limitation by operating simultaneously with the MeerKAT radio
telescope, enabling a novel, commensal approach to exploring the... -
Magdeline Matobe (SAIP)09/07/2026, 12:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Astronomical spectroscopy is a study of how matter interacts with light (Penner, 2017). Today, it is recognised that light behaves both like a wave and particle (Sliney, 2016). Scientists use spectroscopy to study celestial objects by analysing the light they emit, absorb, or reflect. The separation of light with a spectrograph results in the visible spectrum (Dopita et al., 2007). Studying...
Go to contribution page -
Calmay Lee (North-West University)09/07/2026, 12:10Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
The solar atmosphere and magnetic field are highly structured and dynamic. Jet-like features such as spicules move from the photosphere to the lower corona while solar flares cause heating of the plasma in the chromosphere leading to volume expansion within coronal loops. These two phenomena are often simulated with a pulse driven from the photosphere into a vertical magnetic field and...
Go to contribution page -
JG Coertze (NWU)09/07/2026, 14:40Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
This study examines the evolution of polar coronal holes (PCHs), regions of open magnetic field in the solar corona, over Solar Cycles 24 and 25. Using AIA 193 ร observations and HMI magnetic-field measurements from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), variations in PCH morphology ย and magnetic properties across the solar cycle are analysed. The results show that PCH area and occurrence are...
Go to contribution page -
Ruhann Steyn (Centre for Space Research, North-West University)09/07/2026, 15:00Track D - Astrophysics & Space ScienceOral Presentation
Solar observations provide a wealth of data at high resolution in all layers of the solar atmosphere, obtained from ground-based and space-born observatories. A multi-layer analysis of a C-class flare observed on 1 July 2012 is presented using high-resolution Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST) observations, SDO/HMI SHARP data, SDO/AIA imaging, and potential field extrapolations. The...
Go to contribution page