Fernando Camilo (Chief Scientist for SKA South Africa)

Fernando Camilo Colloquium: MeerKAT Early Results, Status, and Plans

Marsfield lecture theatre

Abstract

After more than a decade in the making, the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory’s MeerKAT radio telescope was inaugurated in July 2018 and is now being used for scientific observations. You might have already seen its iconic image of the Galactic Centre. Come and see several more early results, including one of the deepest radio images ever made, and a collection of wonderful and weird structures, such as the two shown here. In this talk I’ll give an overview of recent radio astronomy developments in South Africa, including significant Australian participation, culminating with MeerKAT. I’ll summarize the current status of the telescope and plans for continued development, as well as opportunities to use it.