• This image combines views from the Hubble and Keck II telescopes. • A galaxy in the foreground, which appears as a diagonal line, is acting as a gravitational lens. • The ring shape is a smeared image of the galaxy H1429-0028 in the backgroundNASA/ESA/ESO/W. • Keck Observatory This image combines views from the Hubble and Keck II telescopes. • A galaxy in the foreground, which appears as a diagonal line, is acting as a gravitational lens. • The ring shape is a smeared image of the galaxy H1429-0028 in the background NASA/ESA/ESO/W.
Article Summaries:
- Astronomers using South Africa’s MeerKAT radio array have identified the brightest and most distant microwave laser-known as a maser-ever seen. The source, a galaxy called H1429‑0028 about 8 billion light‑years away, was magnified by gravitational lensing from an intervening galaxy, allowing the MeerKAT team to detect a powerful 1667 MHz emission. The signal, roughly 100,000 times the luminosity of a star, qualifies as a “gigamaser” and results from hydroxyl ions excited by intense radio waves during a galaxy merger. The discovery demonstrates the feasibility of finding similar masers at even greater distances with the upcoming Square Kilometre Array, which could probe early galaxy collisions.
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