Indian scientists, in collaboration with international researchers, have achieved an extraordinary feat by using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa to capture highly detailed radio images of the Sun. This breakthrough allows them to detect features that were previously too faint and small to observe.
The research team was led by Dr. Devojyoti Kansabanik and Dr. Surajit Mondal from the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Pune. Dr. Kansabanik is now at Johns Hopkins University, and Dr. Mondal is with the New Jersey Institute of Technology, both working on solar physics. The team leveraged MeerKAT’s unique capabilities to make their groundbreaking observations.
Despite being the brightest object in the sky, the Sun still holds many mysteries, especially when viewed through radio wavelengths. The study’s lead author, Dr. Kansabanik, explained that radio observations of the Sun are particularly challenging because the radio emissions come from the corona, a region known for its dynamic changes and significance in space weather phenomena. These emissions can vary rapidly in time and across different wavelengths, making the images appear blurry, similar to a photo of a fast-moving car.
To address this, the researchers employed a novel observation strategy, pointing the telescope slightly away from the Sun, similar to using peripheral vision. This approach, while reducing some issues, introduced additional complexities that required specialized algorithms to correct for instrumental effects and peripheral distortion.
After successfully correcting for these effects, the team was able to produce high-fidelity images, which were then compared to simulations to ensure their accuracy. The study’s success demonstrated MeerKAT’s potential for detailed solar imaging, paving the way for further exploration in solar physics.
MeerKAT, located in South Africa’s Karoo desert, is a precursor to the mid-frequency component of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) and features 64 radio dishes spread across an eight-kilometer radius. Although designed for general radio astronomy, MeerKAT proved to be well-suited for solar imaging at GHz frequencies, despite the additional challenges that come with high-fidelity spectroscopic solar imaging. This achievement opens new frontiers in the study of the Sun’s behavior and its impact on Earth.