MeerKAT spots record-distance hydroxyl megamaser, peering into the early universe
South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope detected the most distant hydroxyl megamaser yet observed—in a violently merging galaxy more than 8 billion light-years away—thanks to gravitational lensing and wide bandwidth. The rapid 5-hour detection showcases MeerKAT's capabilities and foreshadows many more such discoveries with the SKA and ngVLA, offering new insights into galaxy evolution and extreme star-forming environments in the early universe.
