MeerKAT captures centre of the Milky Way
The radio telescope is providing scientists with the best view of the centre of the galaxy.
Scientists in the Northern Cape have managed to photograph the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy, using the recently completed MeerKAT radio telescope.
The 64-antenna telescope officially opened its doors on Friday, but has already started operations, including the rare image taken of a burst of activity roughly 25 000 light-years away.
"It's a stunning image, it's the best view ever made of the centre of our Milky Way Galaxy," says Fernando Camilo, chief scientist at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO).
MeerKAT's capabilities are unique in a number of aspects, including the fact that it collects information using radio waves.
Photographing the centre of the galaxy is a difficult task, largely because earth's view is obstructed by clouds of gas and dust from the Sagittarius constellation - commonly referred to as 'the Teapot'.
However radio waves are able to penetrate the clouds and dust.
South Africa enjoys another unique advantage: the area of focus - the centre of the Milky Way - passes over the country and is visible for roughly 12 hours a day.
The image - below - is of an area of roughly 1,000-by-500 light-years and the data contained in it will be used for far more than breathtaking pictures.
The image alone is made up of hundreds of terabytes of data and Camilo explains MeerKAT records more than 250 "gigabytes of data every single second".
"The data will be analised for years to come," explains Camilo. "We're going to learn a lot about what happens at the very centre of our galaxy."
The MeerKAT makes up the core of the larger Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope.
Many observations will focus on hydrogen - the most common element in the universe.
The MeerKAT - estimated to cost roughly R3,2 billion - has already created 7284 job opportunities and is said to benefit local communities in the Karoo.
Camilo says many South African scientists and engineers are already part of the project and the technology will continue to draw scientists from accross the globe.
"This is a world-class facility built by South Africans," says Camilo, adding that astronomers around the world "are just dying to use our telescope, but you know, they will have to get in line".