Episode 80: The Mightee MeerKAT’s View of the Universe

with Prof Matt Jarvis, Dr Imogen Whittam and Dr Anastasia PonomarevaIn this episode, Jacinta takes us back to Oxford to catch up with researchers leading one of the biggest astronomy projects with South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope — the MIGHTEE Survey!We hear from Prof. Matt Jarvis, Dr. Imogen Whittam, and Dr. Anastasia Ponomareva at the University of Oxford, who explain how astronomers use MeerKAT to study how galaxies have changed over the history of the Universe – a process called galaxy evolution. MIGHTEE looks at both the raw gas that fuels new stars (neutral hydrogen, or HI) and the powerful black holes at galaxy centres that can regulate star formation with their giant radio jets. The survey also brings together more than a hundred scientists worldwide and provides unique opportunities for South African students to lead exciting discoveries.The team talk us through how they map hydrogen gas in 3D using the famous 21-cm signal, why puzzling results suggest galaxies have kept the same supply of gas even as their star formation has slowed, and how new data challenges the textbook picture of how black holes are fuelled. They also describe the practical challenges of handling thousands of radio sources and how international collaborations of around 100 astronomers make it all possible.This episode follows on from our last, where Jacinta’s RADHIANCE students shared their Oxford adventures — now we dive into the cutting-edge science itself!