Latest news with #SquareKilometreArray
Broadcast Pro
26-06-2025
- Science
- Broadcast Pro
Zambia joins Africas radio astronomy network with TART telescope
The device is intended for real-time, all-sky observation of transitory events such as satellites, near-Earth objects, and other cosmic phenomena. The Copperbelt University in Kitwe, Zambia, has become part of a growing network of radio astronomy infrastructure across Africa following the installation of the Transient Array Radio Telescope (TART). This 24-element system is designed for real-time, all-sky monitoring of transient cosmic events and marks the fifth TART deployment on the continent, joining existing arrays in Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa, as reported by SpaceinAfrica. TART, developed in partnership with the Electronics Research Foundation in New Zealand, is a compact, open-source radio telescope geared toward tracking satellites, near-Earth objects, and other astrophysical phenomena. In addition to its scientific capabilities, the system serves as an accessible platform for practical training and algorithm development, offering valuable experience to emerging scientists and engineers in radio astronomy. The installation was supported by DARA (Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy) and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), under South Africas National Research Foundation (NRF). The deployment included a training workshop attended by faculty and postgraduate students from Copperbelt University and three other Zambian institutions: Mulungushi University, Kwame Nkrumah University, and Mukuba University. This collaborative approach highlights the projects emphasis on capacity building, skills transfer, and the strengthening of local scientific expertise. Zambias participation in the TART initiative reinforces its growing role in global radio astronomy and contributes to the broader Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, of which it is one of eight African partner countries. The successful setup in Kitwe reflects a deep commitment to fostering regional scientific development through education, infrastructure, and international cooperation. The project owes its success to the contributions of leading experts including Prof. Oleg Smirnov (RATT), Dr Tim Molteno, Benjamin Hugo, and a network of dedicated collaborators who turned a shared vision into a functioning scientific asset. TART Zambia not only enhances educational and research opportunities but also symbolises Africas advancing position in the global astronomy community, expanding access to cutting-edge scientific tools and opening new frontiers in space science through innovation and partnership.
United News of India
23-06-2025
- Science
- United News of India
Australian scientists mark breakthrough in astronomy via images at Chile's Rubin Observatory
Melbourne, June 23 (UNI) Australian scientists are marking a significant breakthrough in astronomy as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile unveils its first images from a revolutionary new telescope, according to the University of Melbourne. The observatory, featuring the world's largest digital camera and a powerful eight-meter mirror, will scan the entire southern sky every few nights, capturing unprecedented detail and enabling real-time detection of cosmic events, a release from the University of Melbourne said on Monday. The Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time, named for pioneering astronomer Vera Rubin who first measured dark matter in galaxies, will gather around 20 terabytes of data each night, producing an unparalleled, high-resolution time-lapse of the universe over the next decade, the release said. Scientists expect to receive up to 10 million alerts daily for changes in brightness or position of celestial objects, paving the way for discoveries of potentially unknown phenomena, it said. Australian software engineers and data specialists from 15 institutions have been instrumental in developing advanced code and artificial intelligence tools for the project, it added. "Almost 30 years after the idea was first conceived, and after a decade of construction, the telescope represents a truly exciting leap forward in astrophysics," said Rachel Webster, science lead for the Australian collaboration from the University of Melbourne. The telescope will shed light on dark matter, dark energy and galaxy evolution, while complementing research with Australia's Square Kilometre Array, Webster said.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A radio signal from the beginning of the universe could reveal how everything began
A radio signal from the early universe could allow us to understand how everything that surrounds us began. The signal – known as the 21-centimetre signal – could finally let us understand how the first stars and galaxies switched on, and brought the universe from darkness to light. 'This is a unique opportunity to learn how the universe's first light emerged from the darkness,' said co-author Anastasia Fialkov from Cambridge University, in a statement. 'The transition from a cold, dark universe to one filled with stars is a story we're only beginning to understand.' The signal comes to us from more than 13 billion years ago, just a hundred million years after the Big Bang. The faint glow is created by hydrogen atoms that fill up the space between regions of space where stars are being formed. Scientists now believe they will be able to use the nature of that signal to better understand the early universe. They will do that with a radio antenna called REACH – the Radio Experiment for the Analysis of Cosmic Hydrogen – which will try and capture radio signals to reveal data about the beginnings of the universe. To better understand how that project might work, researchers created a model that predicted how REACH as well as another project called the Square Kilometre Array will be able to provide information about the masses and other details of the first stars. 'We are the first group to consistently model the dependence of the 21-centimetre signal of the masses of the first stars, including the impact of ultraviolet starlight and X-ray emissions from X-ray binaries produced when the first stars die,' said Professor Fialkov. 'These insights are derived from simulations that integrate the primordial conditions of the universe, such as the hydrogen-helium composition produced by the Big Bang.' 'The predictions we are reporting have huge implications for our understanding of the nature of the very first stars in the Universe,' said co-author Eloy de Lera Acedo, Principal Investigator of the REACH telescope. 'We show evidence that our radio telescopes can tell us details about the mass of those first stars and how these early lights may have been very different from today's stars. 'Radio telescopes like REACH are promising to unlock the mysteries of the infant Universe, and these predictions are essential to guide the radio observations we are doing from the Karoo, in South Africa.' The work is described in a new paper, 'Determination of the mass distribution of the first stars from the 21-cm signal', published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A radio signal from the beginning of the universe could reveal how everything began
A radio signal from the early universe could allow us to understand how everything that surrounds us began. The signal – known as the 21-centimetre signal – could finally let us understand how the first stars and galaxies switched on, and brought the universe from darkness to light. 'This is a unique opportunity to learn how the universe's first light emerged from the darkness,' said co-author Anastasia Fialkov from Cambridge University, in a statement. 'The transition from a cold, dark universe to one filled with stars is a story we're only beginning to understand.' The signal comes to us from more than 13 billion years ago, just a hundred million years after the Big Bang. The faint glow is created by hydrogen atoms that fill up the space between regions of space where stars are being formed. Scientists now believe they will be able to use the nature of that signal to better understand the early universe. They will do that with a radio antenna called REACH – the Radio Experiment for the Analysis of Cosmic Hydrogen – which will try and capture radio signals to reveal data about the beginnings of the universe. To better understand how that project might work, researchers created a model that predicted how REACH as well as another project called the Square Kilometre Array will be able to provide information about the masses and other details of the first stars. 'We are the first group to consistently model the dependence of the 21-centimetre signal of the masses of the first stars, including the impact of ultraviolet starlight and X-ray emissions from X-ray binaries produced when the first stars die,' said Professor Fialkov. 'These insights are derived from simulations that integrate the primordial conditions of the universe, such as the hydrogen-helium composition produced by the Big Bang.' 'The predictions we are reporting have huge implications for our understanding of the nature of the very first stars in the Universe,' said co-author Eloy de Lera Acedo, Principal Investigator of the REACH telescope. 'We show evidence that our radio telescopes can tell us details about the mass of those first stars and how these early lights may have been very different from today's stars. 'Radio telescopes like REACH are promising to unlock the mysteries of the infant Universe, and these predictions are essential to guide the radio observations we are doing from the Karoo, in South Africa.' The work is described in a new paper, 'Determination of the mass distribution of the first stars from the 21-cm signal', published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
The Independent
20-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Space signal could reveal how universe turned from dark to light
A radio signal from the early universe, known as the 21-centimetre signal, offers a unique opportunity to understand how the first stars and galaxies emerged. This faint glow originates from over 13 billion years ago, approximately 100 million years after the Big Bang, and is created by hydrogen atoms. Scientists plan to use a radio antenna called REACH (Radio Experiment for the Analysis of Cosmic Hydrogen) to capture these signals and gather data about the universe's beginnings. Researchers developed a model predicting how REACH and the Square Kilometre Array can provide information about the masses and other details of the first stars. The work, published in Nature Astronomy, suggests that radio telescopes like REACH can reveal crucial details about the nature and mass of these early stars, which may have differed from today's stars.
