Latest news with #SARAO
The Citizen
11-06-2025
- Science
- The Citizen
SA's MeerKAT telescope joins forces with European VLBI Network
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. ALSO READ: Anyone out there? Astronomers find signs of life on distant planet 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. ALSO READ: SA takes giant leap with Prime telescope to enhance exoplanet discovery [VIDEO]
Business Insider
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Insider
Astronomers worry Musk's Starlink could disrupt South Africa's mega-telescope observations
Astronomers working with South Africa's SKA telescope are urging the government to ensure that any licensing deal with Elon Musk's Starlink includes protections for their sensitive astronomical research. Astronomers in South Africa emphasize the need for protective measures in agreements involving SpaceX's Starlink to safeguard sensitive astronomical research. A licensing deal with Starlink has attracted controversy, with its parent company advocating alternative compliance mechanisms to local ownership laws. Concerns exist that Starlink's low-orbit satellites might interfere with operations of South Africa's SKA-Mid radio telescope. Astronomers working with South Africa's SKA telescope are urging the government to ensure that any licensing deal with Elon Musk's Starlink includes protections for their sensitive astronomical research, according to a senior scientist. Talks around Starlink's entry into South Africa have already sparked controversy. Parent company SpaceX has pushed back against local ownership laws, instead proposing equity equivalent initiatives as an alternative path to compliance. Adding astronomy-related licensing conditions could further complicate efforts to bring Starlink to South Africa, where Musk already expressed concerns over the government's Black empowerment policies, Reuters reported. While South African authorities have said they're open to reviewing rules in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, they remain firm on policies aimed at transforming the economy nearly 30 years after the end of white-minority rule. Interference with the SKA telescope Scientists worry that Starlink's low-orbit satellites could interfere with observations by South Africa's Square Kilometre Array (SKA-Mid), one of the world's most advanced radio telescopes, co-hosted with a similar array in Australia. Di Vruno, spectrum manager at the SKA Observatory, said both his organization and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) are pushing for license conditions that would limit interference with critical observation frequencies used by the SKA-Mid telescope. These conditions could require Starlink to either steer its satellite beams away from SKA receivers or pause transmissions for brief periods to minimize disruption, he explained. The SKA's current array of antennas in Carnarvon, a remote town in South Africa's Northern Cape, operates within the 350 megahertz to 15.4 gigahertz frequency range, bandwidth also commonly used by satellite operators for downlinks. South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope, a precursor to the SKA-Mid and soon to be integrated into the larger Square Kilometre Array (SKA), has already delivered remarkable discoveries. Among them is a rare giant radio galaxy that spans 32 times the size of the Milky Way. In another instance, it identified 49 new galaxies in under three hours, according to the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO).
eNCA
13-05-2025
- Science
- eNCA
S.Africa's vast radio telescope draws new generation to the cosmos
When Lungelo Zondi first learnt about stars and galaxies at primary school in South Africa, she dreamt of having a live feed into the universe for uninterrupted space exploration. Today, aged 25, her childhood vision has pretty much come true. From her desk in Cape Town, Zondi monitors one of the world's largest radio telescopes, the MeerKAT, made up of 64 giant white dishes that stand in a semi-desert region 600 kilometres away. Through the screen of her computer, she can tune into radio signals emitted by stars and galaxies light-years away using the massive antennae that are 13.5 metres in diametre and turned up to the heavens. "This is so interesting and fascinating: we're collecting data from the universe," Zondi said of the job of telescope operator at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) that she started just two months ago. Since 2005, SARAO has awarded 1,369 bursaries to students of applied mathematics, computer science, astrophysics and other subjects. The bubbly engineering student is among them and part of a young generation of South Africans now able to look into the cosmos since the 2018 inauguration of the MeerKAT super radio telescope, which put the country on the map of global astronomy. - World's most powerful - As impressive as they are, the 64 dishes of the MeerKAT are just the start of an even bigger project, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Observatory that will be the world's most powerful radio telescope when it is completed by 2030. AFP | MARCO LONGARI The project will hook up another 133 South African dishes and more than 131,000 antennae based in Western Australia to allow humans to look back billions of years to when the "first stars and galaxies started lighting up the darkness", according to SKAO. In the seven years since it was launched in the remote and sparsely populated Karoo region, MeerKAT has already "pushed the boundaries of scientific knowledge," said Adrian Tiplady, SARAO deputy managing director. Its feats include groundbreaking radio images of the centre of the Milky Way, the discovery of immense radio galaxies stretching across millions of light-years, and the tracking of cosmic ripples through spacetime. And with the MeerKAT programme to help train young South Africans, it is also keeping an eye on its future. "It really covers the broad base of skills needed to actively participate in a global astronomy enterprise," Tiplady said. "It has meant that the youth of South Africa now are excited about science, engineering and technology. We've really grown from a handful of radio astronomers some 10 or 20 years ago to a thriving and diverse community," he said. An astrophysics group at the University of the Western Cape has benefited. In 2011, "it started with just one South African faculty (member) at the time… and one student doing the PhD", Mario Santos, 50, professor in the university's physics and astronomy department, said. "Now we have about 25 students and six faculty members," he added, saying the growth was "completely" linked to MeerKAT's development and South Africa's selection as SKA host. - Time machine - In the control room at SARAO's offices in Cape Town, Zondi and her colleagues monitor the health of the antennae and send them instructions to execute observations requested by scientists from all over the world. AFP | MARCO LONGARI There have been more than 1,200 submissions for observation time since 2019, with the biggest share from local research teams, Tiplady said. "The world is watching us, so we have to make things perfect," said Sipho Molefe, another telescope operator. The 34-year-old studied electrical engineering and never imagined he would be working in astronomy. "It makes people dream," he said. "There's a feeling that we're contributing to a bigger and larger environment in terms of information and development of technology." The quiet and empty Karoo from where the MeerKAT's sensitive antennae listen to the universe was identified as holding tremendous potential for South African astronomy in the 1990s. The facility operates in a "radio quiet zone" where radio waves, cell phone signals and wireless connections are strictly controlled to prevent interference with the telescope's tracking. 'When we're building a telescope, it's almost like building a time machine," Tiplady said. "Something like MeerKAT or the SKA will detect radio signals that have been travelling through the universe since the birth of the universe itself.' 'It's a true marvel of scientific and technical excellence... and we're proud of South Africa to be a part of this,' he told AFP. jcb/br/kjm
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
S.Africa's vast radio telescope draws new generation to the cosmos
When Lungelo Zondi first learnt about stars and galaxies at primary school in South Africa, she dreamt of having a live feed into the universe for uninterrupted space exploration. Today, aged 25, her childhood vision has pretty much come true. From her desk in Cape Town, Zondi monitors one of the world's largest radio telescopes, the MeerKAT, made up of 64 giant white dishes that stand in a semi-desert region 600 kilometres (370 miles) away. Through the screen of her computer, she can tune into radio signals emitted by stars and galaxies light-years away using the massive antennae that are 13.5 metres (44 feet) in diametre and turned up to the heavens. "This is so interesting and fascinating: we're collecting data from the universe," Zondi said of the job of telescope operator at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) that she started just two months ago. Since 2005, SARAO has awarded 1,369 bursaries to students of applied mathematics, computer science, astrophysics and other subjects. The bubbly engineering student is among them and part of a young generation of South Africans now able to look into the cosmos since the 2018 inauguration of the MeerKAT super radio telescope, which put the country on the map of global astronomy. - World's most powerful - As impressive as they are, the 64 dishes of the MeerKAT are just the start of an even bigger project, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Observatory that will be the world's most powerful radio telescope when it is completed by 2030. The project will hook up another 133 South African dishes and more than 131,000 antennae based in Western Australia to allow humans to look back billions of years to when the "first stars and galaxies started lighting up the darkness", according to SKAO. In the seven years since it was launched in the remote and sparsely populated Karoo region, MeerKAT has already "pushed the boundaries of scientific knowledge," said Adrian Tiplady, SARAO deputy managing director. Its feats include groundbreaking radio images of the centre of the Milky Way, the discovery of immense radio galaxies stretching across millions of light-years, and the tracking of cosmic ripples through spacetime. And with the MeerKAT programme to help train young South Africans, it is also keeping an eye on its future. "It really covers the broad base of skills needed to actively participate in a global astronomy enterprise," Tiplady said. "It has meant that the youth of South Africa now are excited about science, engineering and technology. We've really grown from a handful of radio astronomers some 10 or 20 years ago to a thriving and diverse community," he said. An astrophysics group at the University of the Western Cape has benefited. In 2011, "it started with just one South African faculty (member) at the time… and one student doing the PhD", Mario Santos, 50, professor in the university's physics and astronomy department, said. "Now we have about 25 students and six faculty members," he added, saying the growth was "completely" linked to MeerKAT's development and South Africa's selection as SKA host. - Time machine - In the control room at SARAO's offices in Cape Town, Zondi and her colleagues monitor the health of the antennae and send them instructions to execute observations requested by scientists from all over the world. There have been more than 1,200 submissions for observation time since 2019, with the biggest share from local research teams, Tiplady said. "The world is watching us, so we have to make things perfect," said Sipho Molefe, another telescope operator. The 34-year-old studied electrical engineering and never imagined he would be working in astronomy. "It makes people dream," he said. "There's a feeling that we're contributing to a bigger and larger environment in terms of information and development of technology." The quiet and empty Karoo from where the MeerKAT's sensitive antennae listen to the universe was identified as holding tremendous potential for South African astronomy in the 1990s. The facility operates in a "radio quiet zone" where radio waves, cell phone signals and wireless connections are strictly controlled to prevent interference with the telescope's tracking. 'When we're building a telescope, it's almost like building a time machine," Tiplady said. "Something like MeerKAT or the SKA will detect radio signals that have been travelling through the universe since the birth of the universe itself.' 'It's a true marvel of scientific and technical excellence... and we're proud of South Africa to be a part of this,' he told AFP. jcb/br/kjm
