MeerKAT radio telescope produces sharper images of distant galaxies

South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope has joined the European VLBI Network (EVN) for the first time, enabling astronomers to capture unprecedentedly sharp images of the universe. The collaboration with the Netherlands-based Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE) enhances the capabilities of this powerful instrument.

MerrKAT, comprising 64 satellite dishes, now functions as part of a global network. Using Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technology, multiple antennas synchronize observations across vast distances, effectively creating a single telescope with a diameter akin to Earth's.

A research team, including astronomers from Chalmers University of Technology's Onsala Space Observatory in Sweden, directed MeerKAT and several other telescopes toward the distant galaxy J0123+3044. This galaxy is known for ejecting a stream of energetic plasma from its supermassive black hole.

"MeerKAT with its 64 antennas is as sensitive as a single dish antenna with a diameter of one hundred meters. This improves the image quality significantly," stated Jun Yang, astronomer at Onsala Space Observatory, Chalmers. "This is a big step forward for future observations with the telescopes of the SKA Observatory."

The new observations represent a technological achievement, demonstrating how MeerKAT's sensitivity boosts the resolution and sensitivity of long-distance observations. MeerKAT and the EVN are precursor facilities for the forthcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Observatory, a global radio telescope project for which Sweden is in the process of becoming a member.