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MeerKAT Detects Neutral Hydrogen 21cm Signal at z=0.32,0.44

9/8/2026

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Summary

Story summary

University of Manchester researchers led by Sourabh Paul directly detected faint hydrogen signals with MeerKAT.
They measured the 21-cm line from neutral hydrogen at redshifts z = 0.32 and 0.44.
The detection used 96 hours of MeerKAT data collected in 2018.
It is the first direct hydrogen detection by a single observatory without optical data.
The finding supports hydrogen intensity mapping as a practical tool for upcoming SKAO surveys.

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Story summary

University of Manchester researchers led by Sourabh Paul directly detected faint hydrogen signals with MeerKAT.
They measured the 21-cm line from neutral hydrogen at redshifts z = 0.32 and 0.44.
The detection used 96 hours of MeerKAT data collected in 2018.
It is the first direct hydrogen detection by a single observatory without optical data.
The finding supports hydrogen intensity mapping as a practical tool for upcoming SKAO surveys.