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This is a new chapter for high-resolution radio astronomy, enabling scientists to study the universe in greater detail than ever before.
FILE: Part of the ensemble of dishes forming South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope is seen in Carnarvon on July 16, 2016. Picture: Mujahid Safodien/ AFP
South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope has joined forces with the European VLBI Network (EVN), one of the world’s most sensitive and advanced very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) systems.
Their partnership sets a new standard for global collaboration and significantly enhances both resolution and sensitivity, opening new avenues for scientific exploration and a new era of radio astronomy.
Space exploration
It is also a new chapter for high-resolution radio astronomy, enabling scientists to study the universe in greater detail than ever before.
The collaboration has already delivered impressive results, with EVN researchers capturing enhanced images of energetic plasma jets from the supermassive black hole J0123+3044.
This sets the stage for a new wave of scientific breakthroughs in understanding cosmic phenomena.
‘Proud moment’
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Blade Nzimande said the achievement is a proud moment for South African science and a powerful demonstration of what international collaboration can accomplish.
“Integrating MeerKAT into the EVN marks a giant leap for precision radio astronomy and lays vital groundwork for the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA)-VLBI era”.
The Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE), headquartered in the Netherlands, coordinated the EVN’s participation and played a central role in data processing and image development, working closely with the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (SARAO) engineering and science teams to ensure the mission’s success.
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Universe exploration
Reflecting on MeerKAT’s remarkable capabilities and its collaborative observations with the EVN, SARAO Managing Director Pontsho Maruping said the telescope has been highly successful in its mission to explore the radio sky with unprecedented detail, capturing images of some of the universe’s largest-scale structures.
“At the same time, we strongly emphasise collaborating with other instruments as we continue to develop MeerKAT’s scientific capabilities before its eventual integration into the SKA-Mid telescope”.
‘Great achievement’
Jive Council Chair Jessica Dempsey applauded the “great” achievement by the SARAO team.
“This collaboration not only showcases the power of international partnerships in radio astronomy but also paves the way for transformative scientific discoveries through cutting-edge technological innovation.”
The achievement is not just a technological milestone; it is also a powerful example of global scientific unity, with South Africa proudly at the forefront of the world’s expanding window on the universe.
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