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A new and improved radio telescope, known as MeerKAT, has begun operations – and it has already captured a spectacular image that is the clearest view of the center of our galaxy to this day.
the area surrounding the supermassive black hole in the heart of the Milky Way, approximately 25,000 light-years away
The view shows a host of features that have never been seen before, in addition to to provide a better overview of the supernova remnants, the star formation regions and the mysterious filamentary structures that lie near the central black hole, but nowhere else in the galaxy.
These filamentary structures were discovered in the 1980s. 19659002] "This picture is remarkable," Farhad Yusef-Zadeh, a prominent specialist in these structures at Northwestern University in Illinois, said in a statement. "It shows so many features never before seen, including compact sources associated with some of the filaments, that it could provide the key to deciphering the code and solving this three-decade enigma."
The image colors correspond to the brightness of radio waves that MeerKAT can detect, ranging from red for the lowest emissions to orange, to yellow, then to white for the most emissions. strong.
The new image, which corresponds to an area of about 1000 light-years per 500 light years, is only one of the new views of the universe captured by MeerKAT, which consists of 64 distinct dishes in the Karoo region of South Africa.
The new telescope is an ideal candidate for imaging the center of the Milky Way – a region of space that is notoriously difficult to observe as it lies behind the constellation Sagittarius and is enveloped by clouds of gas and dust.
MeerKAT can detect the radio wave lengths that enter these clouds. In addition, its location in the southern hemisphere means that the center of the galaxy passes over its head and is visible for almost 12 hours each day. It is also more sensitive than comparable telescopes, due to its high number of antennas, which allows MeerKAT to provide unique views of the universe. "We wanted to show the scientific capabilities of this new instrument," says Fernando Camilo, chief scientist. "The center of the galaxy was an obvious target: unique, visually striking and full of unexplained phenomena – but also notoriously difficult to image with the help of radio telescopes from the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory. (SARAO) Although the MeerKAT is early, and there is still much to be optimized, we decided to go there – and we were stunned by the results. "
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