Eskom Expo for Young Scientists

Day 1 of Eskom Expo’s 2026 Master Trainers Orientation Programme, hosted at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre. The programme focuses on strengthening the capacity of facilitators to support learners, teachers and judges. Master Trainers are key to building strong research foundations. Their guidance helps learners and teachers navigate the research process and develop projects that reflect innovation and scientific excellence. #DiscoverEskomExpo #STEM #STEMEducation #Training #Judges

Day 1 of Eskom Expo’s 2026 Master Trainers Orientation Programme, hosted at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre. The programme focuses on strengthening the capacity of facilitators to support learners, teachers and judges. Master Trainers are key to building strong research foundations. Their guidance helps learners and teachers navigate the research process and develop projects that reflect innovation and scientific excellence. #DiscoverEskomExpo #STEM #STEMEducation #Training #Judges

@SchoolNetSA @Exposcience Facilitation skills for Master Trainers @Omashani

Young South African scientists to tackle global challenges at Beijing youth competition thestar.co.za/news/2026-03-1… #InTheNews #DiscoverEskomExpo

We just saw the exact moment a star exploded for the first time ever. Astronomers have achieved a rare feat: imaging the exact moment a massive star detonated—and the explosion was anything but spherical. SN 2024ggi, a supernova located 22 million light-years away in the spiral galaxy NGC 3621, was detected a mere 26 hours after ignition. This extraordinarily early discovery allowed researchers to train the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile on the event while it was still in its infancy. Using the technique of spectropolarimetry—which analyzes the polarization of light to reveal geometric structure—the team uncovered a surprising truth: the expanding shockwave was distinctly aspherical, elongated into an “olive” or prolate shape along one primary axis. This asymmetry means the catastrophic rebound following the star’s core collapse did not propagate uniformly in all directions, directly contradicting the long-standing assumption that the deepest layers of a core-collapse supernova explode spherically. The progenitor was a red supergiant 12–15 times more massive than the Sun that had exhausted its nuclear fuel, triggering gravitational collapse of its iron core. In most supernovae, the initial shape of this breakout is quickly obscured as the blast wave slams into the star’s outer envelope. Here, however, astronomers captured polarized light signatures of the still-unobscured ejecta, freezing the explosion’s geometry in time. The discovery carries far-reaching consequences. It strongly suggests that asymmetry is common, if not universal, in the earliest phases of massive-star deaths. Current theoretical models, which often assume spherical symmetry at the core, will need significant revision. Moreover, these distorted explosions could help explain observed peculiarities in supernova remnants, the production of gamma-ray bursts, and the kicking of neutron stars and black holes to high speeds at birth. By catching a star in the act of dying asymmetrically, SN 2024ggi has given us a vivid glimpse into the violent, chaotic physics that govern the final heartbeat of the universe’s most massive stars. [🎞️ Artist’s animation of a supernova explosion] [Unique shape of star’s explosion revealed just a day after detection. ESO, 2025]

Our #HubbleTopImage features a galaxy blowing bubbles! 🫧 This is the dwarf irregular galaxy Holmberg II, which has an indistinct shape punctuated by huge glowing bubbles of gas. These were created by the energetic lifecycles of many generations of stars. High-mass stars form amid dense regions of gas, then expel stellar winds that blow this gas away 🌬️ At the very end of their lives, they explode in as a supernova. Shock waves rip through these less dense regions blowing out and heating the gas, forming the delicate shells we see today! Read more: ow.ly/JWxa50Yv7XV #HubbleTopImage 📷 @NASA & @ESA

Spring into spring with this new image of the Cat's Paw Nebula from NASA's Chandra and @NASAWebb. We expect it to start knocking planets off the counter for sport any minute now. 🐾

NEWS 🚨: The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed an entirely new class of planet A world covered by a permanent ocean of magma that has lasted 5 billion years And it's just 35 light-years away

Looking for templates to guide your 2025 Eskom Expo Project Write-Up? We've got you covered! Access user-friendly templates for: ✅ Project Report ✅ Abstract ✅ Research Plan Click the link to streamline your project preparation and ensure you're on the right track: Access Templates here: tinyurl.com/3nww42xp (Link in bio - Resources) • Quick steps to start your research project: tinyurl.com/3vd2hmnp • Register for 2026 (School learners Grades 4–12 & TVET NC(V) Level 2 to NC(V) Level 4 students): tinyurl.com/bdhk552y • Resources: tinyurl.com/3nww42xp #DiscoverEskomExpo #STEMEducation #ProjectGuidance #STEM #InnovationJourney #FutureInnovators

Surgeries are increasingly opening patients’ brains to research. But the opportunities that come with this intimate access also raise complex ethical issues. Learn more during #BrainAwarenessWeek: scim.ag/3NI7jOH

Three Grade 10 learners to represent South Africa at global science event in China. Research spans agriculture, environmental remediation and food safety innovation. Well done to Marlhuné Bezuidenhout from Hoërskool Secunda in Mpumalanga, Naftal Khoza from Ennerdale Secondary School in Johannesburg and Khushi Lall from Tyger Valley College in Pretoria. greenbuildingafrica.co.za/south-african-… #youngscientists #competition #southafrica #china #DiscoverEskomExpo #InTheNews

NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft are getting ready to roll back to Launch Pad 39B for the @NASAArtemis II mission. Teams are currently monitoring the wind speeds before rolling out of @NASAKennedy Vehicle Assembly Building. Follow along: youtube.com/live/ED2nbfb3N…

Congratulations to our Eskom Expo Welkom Regional Science Fair Director, Anina Nel, on her selection to accompany our participants to the International Festival of Engineering Science and Technology in Tunisia. The delegation will represent South Africa from 23 to 29 March. Read more: exposcience.co.za/sas-next-gen-s… #DiscoverEskomExpo #STEMForAll #IFEST2 #FutureInnovators #ScienceExcellence

As the world struggles with how to dispose of plastic, some scientists hope plastic-munching microbes might hold part of the answer. Learn more on #GlobalRecyclingDay: scim.ag/4siMUic

Bright ideas taking shape at Banksdrift High School! This Learner Workshop focused on ideation and research plan writing, as learners transformed their creative ideas into structured research projects for the Eskom Expo journey. Want your learners to be part of it? Visit our website to check upcoming workshop dates and join the innovation! Find upcoming Eskom Expo workshop dates and venues across South Africa here: tinyurl.com/yuchfwus #DiscoverEskomExpo #STEMForAll #ScienceLearning #Workshops #STEM

Bright ideas taking shape at Banksdrift High School! This Learner Workshop focused on ideation and research plan writing, as learners transformed their creative ideas into structured research projects for the Eskom Expo journey. Want your learners to be part of it? Visit our website to check upcoming workshop dates and join the innovation! Find upcoming Eskom Expo workshop dates and venues across South Africa here: tinyurl.com/yuchfwus #DiscoverEskomExpo #STEMForAll #ScienceLearning #Workshops #STEM

Great research begins with something you care about. Look around your home, school or community. What problems do people face? What makes you curious? Do you enjoy numbers, coding, designing, building, nature or solving social issues? Your interest > your topic > your motivation. Tip: Use the Expo Categories and Sustainable Development Goals for inspiration. • Quick steps to start your research project: tinyurl.com/3vd2hmnp • Register for 2026: tinyurl.com/bdhk552y • Resources: tinyurl.com/3nww42xp #DiscoverEskomExpo #STEMeducation #FutureScientists #ResearchSkills #STEMI #ScienceProjects #Innovation #YoungScientists #YouthInSTEM

Congratulations to our Eskom Expo Bethlehem Regional Science Fair Director, Lekgabe Dihlabi, who has been selected to accompany Expo finalists to compete in the Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition (BYSCC) from the 25th- 29th March! We are exceptionally proud of this achievement and we believe you deserve this honour, as we know how hard you work in the region! Go work hard and learn, so you can bring back the knowledge to the Bethlehem region. Don’t forget to have fun as well and make life long memories! Read more: exposcience.co.za/young-scientis… #DiscoverEskomExpo #STEM #BYSCC #STEM #ScienceFair

The Eskom Expo Waterberg Region engaged with future scientists at a Teachers and Learners Workshop at Potgietersrus Comprehensive Primary School in Mokopane. Learners shared innovative research ideas and explored solutions to real challenges within their communities, sparking curiosity and critical thinking for their upcoming projects. Find upcoming Eskom Expo workshop dates and venues across South Africa here: tinyurl.com/yuchfwus #DiscoverEskomExpo #STEMForAll #ScienceLearning #Workshops #STEM

The Eskom Expo Waterberg Region engaged with future scientists at a Teachers and Learners Workshop at Potgietersrus Comprehensive Primary School in Mokopane. Learners shared innovative research ideas and explored solutions to real challenges within their communities, sparking curiosity and critical thinking for their upcoming projects. Find upcoming Eskom Expo workshop dates and venues across South Africa here: tinyurl.com/yuchfwus #DiscoverEskomExpo #STEMForAll #ScienceLearning #Workshops #STEM