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Africa has a good history of astronomy and is currently engaged in mega astronomy projects like the Square kilometer matrix (SKA)– which is about building the world’s largest radio telescope and African Very Long Baseline Interferometry (AVN), the latest addition to this is the African Millimeter Telescope.
The African Millimeter Telescope (AMT) project is co-led by two teams from Radboud University in Nijmegen and the University of Namibia (through a Association agreement signed in 2016) and aims to make a 15m single-dish radio telescope on Gamsberg Mountain in Namibia. Its main objective is to provide an essential link to the worldwide telescope network known as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) that has recently produced the first image of a black hole. With this groundbreaking achievement, the EHT presented direct evidence of the existence of black holes, showing that Einstein (and therefore the theory of General Relativity) was right. A great scientific breakthrough!
In addition to forming an essential link in the EHT Network, AMT will be the only radio telescope in the mm wavelength regime in Africa, and as such offers unique scientific opportunities for Namibia. The impact is further increased by creating an education and outreach program and boosting innovation and spin-offs in Namibia.
Experience shows that funding for such a telescope through conventional (international) scientific funding could take up to a decade, well beyond the end of the Event Horizon Telescope’s operations. Therefore, while the funds for the initial studies needed to build the AMT are covered by scientific grants, more donations and private funds are being sought to complete the construction of the telescope within the required time frame.
The estimated cost breakdown is as follows:
- Project initiation and management (preparatory studies, telescope design, project planning and coordination, fundraising, travel, etc.) estimated at 2.6 million euros.
- Bring the telescope to Namibia (purchase the telescope, break it down, send it to the Gamsberg and upgrade it) estimated at € 2.4M
- Scientific instrumentation (making sure the telescope works and has all the necessary instruments) estimated at € 1.6M
- Local infrastructure (road improvement, housing, power supply, grid connection, telescope base, data center) estimated at € 5M
- Construction of the telescope (construction of the telescope in the Gamsberg and adjustment of all equipment) estimated at € 1.3M
- Education and outreach (mobile planetarium, educational material, personnel, scholarships, etc.) estimated at € 1.2M
- Operation and maintenance (for 5 years) estimated at € 3.3M
This makes a total of approximately € 21.3 (USD23 million), 26% of which is covered by Radboud Nijmegen University and the University of Namibia, donation of the telescope by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) worth € 3.5M and contributions from the Dutch School of Research in Astronomy (NOVA; € 450K). The AMT project needs financial support, please Click here if you would like to support.
In June 2019, a panel of international experts reviewed the telescope’s technical design and requirements and passed it on to proceed with the detailed design. Currently under Critical Design Review (CDR), the actual building is supposed to start before the end of the year, depending on the availability of funds.
AMT’s first light and commissioning is now slated for the end of 2024, approximately 4 years after the CDR, and the final review is expected for operational readiness in mid-2025, marking the start of the operational phase. from AMT. The planning for the education and outreach part of the AMT is to start with the Mobile Planetary Program in September 2020. The other parts will follow from 2021.
Read: The Netherlands bring mobile planetarium to schools in Namibia
This telescope is not just an essential link in world-class research on black holes. Furthermore, the project team tries to ensure that it stimulates social and economic development in Namibia by donating 80% of the observation time, establishing an education and outreach program, and trying to drive innovation in Namibia. Click here to learn more about this project and support.
