"Surprise Discovery: Astronomers Uncover 49 New Galaxies in Record Time"

An international team of astronomers using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa discovered 49 new gas-rich galaxies in under three hours, with the galaxies informally nicknamed the "49ers." The observations, facilitated by IDIA, revealed that many of the galaxies are near each other, forming galaxy groups, with some directly connected by their gas content. The discovery highlights the power of MeerKAT as an imaging instrument and the methods developed for studying these galaxies will be useful for future large science surveys and observing campaigns.