Astronomers Uncover 49 New Galaxies in Record Time

Using the MeerKAT radio telescope, researchers made the discovery in less than three hours, highlighting the instrument's exceptional capabilities.

Astronomers using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa discovered 49 new gas-rich galaxies in under three hours.
The discovery was made during observations initially aimed at studying star-forming gas in a single galaxy.
The newly found galaxies, informally named the 49ers, include several galaxy groups and three galaxies directly connected by their gas.
The MeerKAT telescope's sensitivity and the use of various techniques for finding galaxies facilitated this significant discovery.
This finding underscores the potential for future discoveries of gas-rich galaxies with MeerKAT and its successor, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).