European Radio Astronomy Consortium

Newsletter Issue 03/2025

SKA-Low's first glimpse of the Universe

The first image from the international SKA Observatory’s telescope in Australia, SKA-Low, has been released on 17 March 2025 – a significant milestone in its quest to reveal an unparalleled view of our Universe. The image shows an area of sky of about 25 square degrees – equivalent to approximately 100 full Moons. In it we see around 85 of the brightest known galaxies in that region, all of which contain supermassive black holes. Read more.

Image: © SKAO; The first image from an early working version of the SKA Observatory’s SKA-Low telescope, which is currently under construction on Wajarri Yamaji Country in Western Australia. The dots in the image look like stars but are in fact some of the brightest galaxies in the Universe, seen in radio light. These galaxies are billions of light years away and each contains a supermassive black hole. Gas orbiting around black holes is very hot and moves quickly, emitting energy in X-rays and radio waves. SKA-Low can detect these radio waves that have travelled billions of light years across the Universe to reach Earth. At the centre of the image is one of only a handful of galaxies known to expel jets of matter that are visible in both optical and radio light.

ALMA Discovers “Space Tornadoes” Around the Milky Way’s Core

Swirling through the Milky Way’s central zone, surrounding the supermassive black hole Sgr A*, dust and gases constantly churn as energetic shock waves ripple. An international scientific team using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has sharpened our view of this action by a factor of 100, discovering a surprising new filamentary structure in this mysterious region of space. Using ALMA’s high resolution and sensitivity to map distinct spectral lines within the molecular clouds at the center of the Milky Way, the team led by Kai Yang/Shanghai Jiao Tong University has delineated a new type of long, narrow filamentary structure at a significantly finer scale. The results of this study are published in Astronomy & Astrophysics in the following article: Yang et al. “ALMA observations of massive clouds in the central molecular zone: slim filaments tracing parsec-scale shocks.”

Read here the ALMA press release and here the original press release published by the National Radioastronomy Observatory of United States (NRAO).

Image: © Yang et al.; Slim filaments in the CMZ. Panel a: MeerKAT 1.28 GHz radio emission of the Sgr A region. The red boxes mark the 20 km s−1 cloud and the 50 km s−1 cloud. Panels b–c: integrated intensity maps of SiO 5–4 in the 20 km s−1 cloud and the 50 km s−1 cloud from ALMA low-resolution (~1.9″) observations. The blue boxes mark zoom-in regions where slim filaments are detected. The dashed loops demonstrate the 50% primary beam of our ALMA high-resolution (~0.″23) observation. Panels d–g: SiO 5–4 emission of filaments from our ALMA high-resolution observations, which are integrated in velocity ranges of [−20, 40] and [25, 75] km s−1 for the 20 km s−1 cloud and the 50 km s−1 cloud respectively. The pink dashed lines illustrate the identified slim filaments. The black contours present the ALMA 1.3 mm continuum emission at levels of [5, 25, 45] × 40 µJy beam−1 .

Accelerating jets from black holes

An international team of researchers used multi-wavelength observations of active galactic nuclei to study how black holes launch relativistic jets. The sixteen sources were observed with the Event Horizon Telescope during its first campaign in 2017. The extreme resolution achieved by the Event Horizon Telescope enabled studies of jets closer than ever to the central supermassive black holes of these galaxies. The team investigated the acceleration and magnetization of the jets by comparing results obtained at various frequencies and angular scales. The work was led by scientists from Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn/DE, and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (IAA-CSIC) in Granada/ES. The results are published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics: A multifrequency study of sub-parsec jets with the Event Horizon Telescope, DOI https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202452600. Read more.

Oxygen discovered in most distant known galaxy

Two different teams of astronomers have detected oxygen in the most distant known galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0. The discovery, reported in two separate studies, was made possible thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner. This record-breaking detection is making astronomers rethink how quickly galaxies formed in the early Universe. Read more.

Image: © ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Carniani et al./S. Schouws et al/JWST: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Brant Robertson (UC Santa Cruz), Ben Johnson (CfA), Sandro Tacchella (Cambridge), Phill Cargile (CfA); This image shows the precise location in the night sky of the galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0, an extremely tiny dot in the Fornax constellation. As of today, this is the most distant confirmed galaxy we know of. Its light took 13.4 billion years to reach us and shows the conditions of the Universe when it was only 300 million years old. The inset of the image shows a close-up of this primordial galaxy as seen with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The inset is overlaid on an image taken with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.

When two research teams studied this galaxy with ALMA, operated by ESO and its international partners, they uncovered something unexpected: the spectrum of the galaxy indicated the presence of oxygen. This is the most distant detection of oxygen ever, and it defies what we knew about galaxy formation in the early Universe. The presence of heavy elements like oxygen suggest that these early galaxies evolved more rapidly than we thought. It is like finding an adolescent where you would only expect babies.

ALMA Unveils New Details of the Flares of Proxima Centauri

A scientific team led by Kiana Burton of the University of Colorado and Meredith MacGregor of Johns Hopkins University utilized archival data and new ALMA observations to study the millimeter-wavelength flare activity of Proxima Centauri. Proxima Centauri's small size and strong magnetic field indicate that its entire internal structure is convective, making the star much more active. Its magnetic fields become twisted, develop tension, and eventually snap, sending streams of energy and particles outward in what is observed as flares.

This research represents the first multi-wavelength study using millimeter observations to uncover a new look at the physics of flares. Combining 50 hours of ALMA observations using both the full 12-meter array as well as the 7-meter Atacama Compact Array (ACA), a total of 463 flare events were reported at energies ranging from 1024 to 1027 erg, and with a brief duration ranging from 3 to 16 seconds. The results of the study are published in the following scientific paper: MacGregor et al. The Proxima Centauri Campaign. First constraints on millimeter flare rates from ALMA.

New ESO analysis confirms severe damage from industrial complex planned near Paranal

An in-depth technical analysis by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has evaluated the impact of the INNA megaproject on the facilities at the Paranal Observatory/Chile. The analysis reveals that INNA would increase light pollution above the Very Large Telescope (VLT) by at least 35% and by more than 50% above the south site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO-South). INNA would also increase air turbulence in the area, further degrading conditions for astronomical observations, while vibrations from the project could seriously impair the functioning of some of the astronomical facilities, like the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), at the Paranal Observatory. Read more.

Image: © ESO/P. Horálek

The 2025 Tycho Brahe Medal awarded to Dr Karl-Friedrich Schuster (IRAM)

The 2025 Tycho Brahe Medal is awarded to Dr Karl-Friedrich Schuster, IRAM/France for his many contributions leading to advances in technology for millimeter astronomy and his leadership role in enabling the ambitious NOEMA upgrade. Read more.

POLICY NEWS

Warsaw Declaration on the strategic role of the future EU R&I

On 11 March 2025, the research ministers of the EU member states adopted the Warsaw Declaration on the strategic role of the future EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

The declaration calls on the European Commission

• to develop its proposal for the future EU framework programme based on the existing tradition of independent framework programmes

• for an appropriate budget for the next EU research framework programme, its funds should be made available exclusively for research and innovation

EP: Assessment of the implementation of Horizon Europe in view of its interim evaluation and recommendations for the 10th Research Framework Programme

The European Parliament has adopted a motion for a resolution to evaluate the implementation of Horizon Europe and with recommendations for the next Research Framework Programme FP10. It suggests FP10 to be designed as an independent EU programme with a significantly higher budget in order to be able to fund at least 75% of the project proposals assessed as excellent. See here the EP resolution of 11 March 2025.

ERA: Proposal for a Council Recommendation on the European Research Area Policy Agenda 2025-2027

The Commission proposal stems from close coordination between the Commission, Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries and European stakeholders, who have collaboratively shaped the content of the next ERA Policy Agenda in the ERA Forum. See here the proposal.

ESFRI Report on Funding of Research Infrastructures published

This report compiles responses from 54 RIs across 19 MemberStates, to the follow up questionnaire issued by ESFRI in 2023, addressing the call for moredetailed, country-specific information. It uncovers significant funding mechanism disparities between distributed and single-sited RIs, highlighting a broader challenge: a pervasive lackof detailed knowledge concerning funding sources and the calculation of access costs,despite the evident necessity for greater funding transparency and effectiveness. Read more.

Unveiling EU Gender Equality Champions in Research and Innovation

With Horizon Europe, the European Commission has made gender equality in research and innovation as a cross-cutting priority, introducing strengthened implementation measures. The EU Award for Gender Equality Champions, an annual recognition prize launched in 2022, is the Commission's initiative to recognise and celebrate the outstanding results achieved by European academic and research organisations through the implementation of Gender Equality Plans.

On 3 March 2025, the European Commission has announced the recipients of the third edition of the EU Award for Gender Equality Champions in research and innovation, recognising their outstanding achievements in advancing gender equality within academic and research institutions. Read more.

ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES

INAF: Open Call

The call for proposal for observing with the INAF telescopes is open. The offered instrumentation is listed here.

Submission deadline: 14 April 2025, 12:00 UTC

ALMA Cycle 12 Call for Proposals is open

ALMA Cycle 12 Call for Proposals (CfP) for scientific observations to be scheduled from October 2025 to September 2026 is open. For this CfP, the JAO anticipates having 4300 hours of approved science time on each of the 12-m, 7-m, and the Total Power arrays. Together, the 7-m Array and Total Power Array form the Atacama Compact Array (ACA), also known as the Morita Array. Observations that are strongly encouraged include:

• ACA, especially in the LST range of 20h to 1h (note that ACA stand-alone proposals had, on average, a very high acceptance rate of 82% in Cycle 11)

• High frequency (Bands 8, 9, and 10) in any configuration

• Low frequency (Bands 1, 3, and 4) at long baselines (C-7 and C-8)

Submission deadline: 15:00 UTC on Thursday, 24 April 2025

Open ACME Call for Visits to Centres of Expertise

This call aims to support research visits to European institutes that provide direct training and expert guidance in multi-messenger astronomy. The program covers a wide range of domains, including gravitational waves, neutrinos, cosmic rays, and photons across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from very-high-energy gamma rays to X-rays, UV, optical, near-infrared, and radio bands.

Submission deadline: 06.04.2025 17:00 CEST

European ALMA Regional Centre

The European ALMA Regional Centre (ARC) provides the interface between the ALMA project and the European science community. The ARC is staffed by scientists with expertise in radio astronomy and interferometry and it supports its users throughout the lifetime of a project, from proposal preparation to data analysis.

Westerbork Apertif Long Term Archive

ALTA offers to the world-wide astronomical community free virtual access to data and scientific products produced from all sky surveys of the Northern sky that will be conducted with the new Apertif frontend of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT), as well as tools to query, further exploit and perform data mining of these products adaptable to diverse research goals. .

LOFAR Long Term Archive

LTA is a long-established archive and access facility supporting the international LOFAR telescope. It is currently the largest radio astronomical archive in the world already exceeding 45 PB from LOFAR’s past 10 years of operations. The LTA provides a central and key resource for all observed LOFAR astronomical science programs where the data become public within 12 months of first creation.