The $25-million facility in Namibia will be the continent’s first millimeter-range astronomical observatory
Astronomers across Africa and Europe have reacted with delight to news that Africa’s first millimetre-range radio telescope is to be built.
The project, confirmed at the end of last year, is “another step toward solidifying Africa’s position as a globally competitive and capable player in the field of astronomy”, says Charles Takalana, head of the secretariat at the African Astronomical Society in Cape Town, South Africa.
Telescopes in the millimetre-wavelength range can image the event horizon of a black hole, says project manager Marc Klein Wolt, who is also managing director of the Radboud Radio Lab at Radboud University. At longer wavelengths, “you only saw a blob, but at the millimetre wavelengths, you start to see the edge”.
However, the EHT will only require about one-fifth of the Africa Millimetre Telescope’s total observation time, says astronomer Michael Backes, co-principal investigator of the project, who is based at the University of Namibia. “The lion’s share of the time will be available for Namibian astronomers to develop their programmes,” he says.
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