The new facility is also expected to help scientists study magnetic fields in space.
Dr Lars Haupt of DZA said, “MALS is a prototype for DZA as we build the systems needed for future large-scale astronomy projects. DZA scientist Aritra Basu said the MALS data would provide a detailed view of the radio sky and help researchers understand how the universe became magnetised. Reliable data services will be crucial for researchers worldwide. The new facility is also expected to help scientists study magnetic fields in space.
Global Access to MeerKAT Data Enhanced
Researchers will gain easier long-term access to a vast dataset from the MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS), thanks to a collaboration between Germany’s Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik (DZA) and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune. DZA has created a mirror of the data originally collected by IUCAA using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa.
The MALS project has produced approximately 1.5 petabytes of raw data from over 1,400 hours of radio observations, completed by the end of 2025. This dataset, equivalent to around 1.5 million gigabytes, is crucial for understanding galaxy formation and the evolution of star-forming gas over billions of years.
So far, three major data releases have been made publicly available, with plans for additional releases. The currently accessible data includes radio observations in the frequency range of 900 to 1,670 MHz. An upcoming release will provide data in a lower frequency range of 580 to 1,015 MHz, enabling scientists to examine more distant galaxies and the universe’s earlier stages.
The collaboration ensures that researchers worldwide can access MALS data through DZA’s infrastructure, facilitating long-term data preservation and availability.