The MeerKAT radio telescope is one of South Africa’s largest science projects. It is a beacon of innovation and opportunity on the African continent. There are 64 plates Each dish has a diameter of 13.5 meters and is the prototype for the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project to create the largest and most powerful radio telescope network in the world in 2018. 2571 or 2572

Over the past five years, scientists say the meerkat camera has made a significant contribution to South African and international science. Combining excellent sensitivity and good resolution makes it possible to study the universe in greater detail than ever before, such as detecting weak radio signals. This has led to groundbreaking discoveries in astronomical research on transient astronomy In 2017, the Meerkat telescope was involved in monitoring the results of the collision of two neutron stars helping to ‘ throw more light on some of the richest phenomena in the previous universe.

The Meerkat telescope was also used to observe the center of the Milky Way galaxy. It reveals for the first time the magnetic filaments around the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Such massive black holes have a very high density. It has a mass greater than a million suns. His gravity is very strong. so that even the light could not escape Astronomers see the Meerkat telescope as a major pioneer in exploring many galaxies. And it is changing people’s understanding of the evolution of the universe.

Credit: South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO)