MeerKAT prepares a path toward the SKA

Metalworking, calligraphy, geometric design and numerical tables were all necessary to produce a reliable instrument.

They expanded astrolabe theory, manufacture and uses before the instrument circulated further through Africa, Asia and Europe.

The 64-dish radio telescope officially opened near Carnarvon in the Northern Cape.

The observatory unveiled a striking radio image of the central region of our galaxy.

The inauguration marked a major South African contribution to global astronomy.

The publication presents astronomy as a product of exchange among Chinese, Indian, Persian, Greek, Arab and Central Asian traditions.

Scholars compared inherited tables and models rather than simply copying them, producing new observations and calculations.

Large instruments, repeated measurements, mathematical tables and trained observers depended on patronage and coordinated labour.

Astronomical development emerged through movement, multilingual scholarship and debate across connected regions.

The collaboration released a reconstructed radio image of the shadow of the black hole in M87.