Question: Astronomers have recently been discovered two giant radio galaxies with powerful MeerKAT telescope. In which of the following country this telescope is located?
a) Australia
b) South Africa
c) Canada
d) USA
Answer: (b)
Related Facts:-
- Recently two giant radio galaxies have been discovered with South Africa’s powerful MeerKAT telescope.
- The giant radio galaxies were spotted in new radio maps of the sky created by one of the most advanced surveys (MIGHTEE survey) of distant galaxies.
- Astronomers say that this population of galaxies was previously hidden from us by radio telescopes limitations.
- Now the MeerKAT has allowed new discoveries because it can detect faint, diffuse light which previous telescopes were unable to do.
- MIGHTEE survey is called as International Gigahertz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration.
- It involves data collected by South Africa’s impressive MeerKAT radio telescope.
- MeerKAT consists of 64 antennae and dishes, and started collecting science data in early 2018.
- The team working on it has included astronomers from around the world including South Africa, the UK, Italy and Australia.
- MeerKAT is located in the Karoo region, a semi-arid area in the south west of the country.
- This discovery has been, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
- Present discovery about these galaxies can give astronomers further clues about how galaxies have changed and evolved throughout the cosmic history.
- Astronomers say that It’s also a way to understand how galaxies may continue to change and evolve and even to work out how old radio galaxies can get.
- Radio Galaxies:-
- It should be known that Radio galaxies get their name from the fact that they release huge beams, or jets of radio light.
- These happen through the interaction between charged particles and strong magnetic fields related to supermassive black holes at the galaxies’ hearts.
- These giant galaxies are much bigger than most of the others in the Universe and are thought to be quite rare.
- Although millions of radio galaxies are known to exist, only around 800 giants have been found.
- The new pathways for clearer understanding:
- This discovery means that a clearer understanding of the evolutionary pathways of galaxies is beginning to emerge.
- This is tantalising evidence that a large population of faint, very extended giant radio galaxies may exist.
- This may help us understand how radio galaxies become so huge and what sort of havoc supermassive black holes can wreak on their galaxies.
- Extension of these galaxies is more than 2 mega-parsecs across i.e about 6.5 million light years or about 62 times the size of the Milky Way.
- Yet they are fainter than others of the same size. That’s what makes them harder to see.
By – Rajesh Tripathi