MeerKAT’s first remarkable image

As astronomers from around the world gather to discuss the scientific potential of MeerKAT, the telescope being built in the Northern Cape has produced its first remarkable image.

This week an observation using just four of the eventual 64 dishes produced a remarkable view of the sky, revealing never before seen radio galaxies in the distant universe.

“This wonderful result has enormous significance,” said Professor Justin Jonas, Associate Director for Science and Engineering, SKA South Africa.

“Just 10 years ago I would not have imagined that we would be hosting such a prestigious meeting in South Africa and building a world-leading radio telescope. This image and all that lies behind it adds to our confidence that this very complex project will be the success that we have been planning for over the past decade.”

“This image covers less than 0.01 percent of the entire celestial sphere”, explained Dr Fernando Camilo, SKA South Africa Chief Scientist.

“Given that we detect more than 50 galaxies in such a small patch of sky, observed with only four dishes, imagine the discoveries that are going to be made surveying the entire South African sky with the full 64-dish MeerKAT,” he added.

More than a hundred researchers and students from South Africa and around the world are meeting this week to share plans to use the MeerKAT radio telescope. The MeerKAT Science Workshop will continue until Friday.

While the conference takes place in Stellenbosch, the construction of the telescope continues in the Northern Cape, while commissioning scientists and engineers at the SKA South Africa office in Cape Town run tests with the first elements of the dish array.

The scientific promise of MeerKAT is reflected in the worldwide interest in the MeerKAT Science Workshop.

“This promise is now within reach,” according to Dr Rob Adam, SKA South Africa Project Director.

“It is a testament to the dedicated work of hundreds of engineers, scientists, managers and other staff, as well as of the South African and international industrial partners, and the support of the government and people of South Africa for more than a decade.”

MeerKAT, a project of Square Kilometre Array South Africa (SKA SA), will be made up of 64 dishes spread over a diameter of eight kilometres in the Northern Cape, 90 kilometres northwest of Carnarvon.

When completed by late next year, it will be one of the world’s most powerful scientific instruments. Eventually MeerKAT will be integrated into the even more powerful SKA telescope.