Astronomers have discovered a powerful radio wave laser in space. This one-of-a-kind laser is known as a megamaser.
It has been observed about 5 billion light-years from Earth, the most distant to date.
To reach Earth, light from this laser traveled 36 trillion billion miles (58 trillion kilometers).
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The mega-maser was observed by a team of international astronomers using the MeerKAT or Karoo Array telescope at the South African Radio Astronomical Observatory.
What is a megamaser?
Marcin Glawacki, who led the team and researched at the Curtin University in Australia’s International Center for Radio Astronomical Research, said megamasers were created when two galaxies collided with each other.
In a statement, Glovatsky said: “When galaxies collide, the gas they contain becomes extremely dense and can trigger concentrated rays of light to fire.”
In short, the mega-masseur is actually a super-powerful laser that is made of microwave light, the media reported.
Named Nkalakata
MeerKAT is observing this lightweight or hydroxyl megamasser for the first time, Glovatsky added.
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Hydroxl, which is a chemical group, contains one hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom. It can be found when galaxies merge.
The laser is also called Nkalakatha by the research team. It means “big boss” of isiZulu, the language of the Zulus in South Africa.
“It is impressive that with just one night of observations we have already discovered a record megamasser. This shows how good the telescope is,” Glovatsky added.
(Contributed by agencies)
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