MIGHTEE

Are galaxies spinning in alignment with the cosmic web?

A new paper by the MIGHTEE-HI team reveals the connection between the direction of spin of galaxies and underlying large scale web of structure fund in the universe. Using a sample of 77 galaxies that are also known from other observations, the scientists calculated the axis around which the galaxies are spinning. If the background intergalactic distribution of matter (ordinary … Read More

MIGHTEE releases Early Science results

Since the MeerKAT radio telescope was inaugurated in 2018, is has been used extensively for observations for the MeerKAT Large Survey Projects, also called LSPs. Of the eight LSPs that were approved even before MeerKAT was ready for full operations, five projects process their data on the IDIA/ilifu research cloud. One of those projects is MIGHTEE. It is a galaxy … Read More

New analysis of more than 2000 Galaxies with MeerKAT

Using early science data for the MIGHTEE project on the MeerKAT radio telescope, a researcher at the University of the Western Cape – with collaborators from eight countries, including four other South African Institutions – has analysed over 2000 galaxies, growing our understanding of the evolution of galaxies over cosmic time. Dr Fangxia An – a postdoctoral researcher at IDIA … Read More

New group of galaxies discovered by the MIGHTEE team

When the science world decided to embark on the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, serendipitous discovery – essentially chance findings – was boldly cited as a scientific goal. The MeerKAT telescope is already proving this bet right, as new, previously unidentified galaxies were discovered by the MIGHTEE project team in a well-studied area in the sky. That area, called XMM-LSS … Read More

Cosmic beasts and where to find them

Gigantic galaxies discovered with the MeerKAT telescope. Cover image: The two giant radio galaxies found with the MeerKAT telescope. In the background is the sky as seen in optical light. Overlaid in red is the radio light from the enormous radio galaxies, as seen by MeerKAT. Left: MGTC J095959.63+024608.6. Right: MGTC J100016.84+015133.0. Credit: I. Heywood (Oxford/Rhodes/SARAO). Two giant radio galaxies … Read More

MIGHTEE-HI: The HI emission project of the MeerKAT MIGHTEE survey

In this new paper, the observations of neutral hydrogen in the MIGHTEE survey conducted on the MeerKAT telescope are described. This particular project addresses 10 science questions, which shows the breadth of science that can be carried out thanks to the unique ability of MeerKAT to observe faint neutral hydrogen signals. Neutral Hydrogen, called HI (H – one) by astronomers, … Read More

New paper: Mapping neutral hydrogen with MeerKAT to understand the distribution of matter in the Universe

In the early universe, most matter as we know it was in the form of neutral hydrogen. Some of it is still lying around and is often seen because it absorbs light from galaxies further away, and obstructs our seeing. Neutral hydrogen was almost evenly distributed, but small differences in density were present. Mapping this neutral hydrogen, we are able … Read More

First MIGHTEE paper finds that clusters and groups of galaxies show the same correlation between X-ray and radio emissions.

A group of international researchers from South Africa, Germany, the United States of America, Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy and Australia have studied the relation between the X-ray emission of intra-group medium, the gas found between galaxies in a group, and the 1.4 GHz radio emission of the central radio galaxy of a group. This study forms part of the … Read More

superMIGHTEE Workshop held at Kruger National Park

Astronomers from India and South Africa descended upon the Kruger National Park to kick off the superMIGHTEE Workshop from 05 – 07 June 2019. superMIGHTEE is the joint exploration of the Deep Sky with uGMRT and MeerKAT, and evolved from a series of joint workshops co-sponsored by India’s Department of Science and Technology and South Africa’s National Research Foundation bilateral, … Read More

New Postdoctoral Fellow Joins IDIA

The Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy welcomes Dr. Matt Prescott, our new postdoctoral researcher, based at University of the Western Cape. Dr. Matt Prescott joins us under joint Fellowship between the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy and the Centre for Radio Cosmology at theUniversity of the Western Cape. He shall be under the guidance of both Prof. Mario Santos and Prof. Russ Taylor. … Read More