University of Pretoria Scientists Detect Record-Breaking ‘Cosmic Laser’ 8 Billion Light-Years Away

• A South African research team detected a powerful radio signal sent more than eight billion years ago from a merging galaxy deep in space
• The rare discovery was made possible by advanced computing systems and a radio telescope based in the Northern Cape
• Scientists believe this breakthrough could unlock new ways of understanding violent galaxy collisions and the early evolution of the universe
• Briefly News spoke to Dr Thato Manamela about the discovery

A team of South African astronomers from the University of Pretoria detected the most distant “cosmic laser” ever recorded. The finding opened a new chapter in space science.

The discovery was made using the MeerKAT radio telescope and confirmed in a report shared on 17 February 2026.

The rare signal, known as a hydroxyl megamaser, was found in a merging galaxy more than eight billion light-years from Earth. It was detected by Dr Thato Manamela and Professor Roger Deane. The team used powerful radio imaging and gravitational lensing to capture the extraordinary beam from deep space.

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A rare violent galaxy clash

This newly discovered system, named HATLAS J142935.3–002836, is unlike anything seen before. It is so bright and distant that researchers say it may qualify as a “gigamaser” rather than a megamaser. According to the University of Pretoria report, the light reaching Earth today began its journey when the universe was less than half its current age.

Gravitational lensing played a major role in the find. A foreground galaxy acted like a natural magnifying glass. Its mass bent space-time and boosted the signal before it reached the MeerKAT dishes in South Africa.

Dr Thato Manamela spoke to Briefly News

Dr Thato Manamela told Briefly News that the original aim of the study was to detect neutral hydrogen, the primary fuel for star formation in galaxies. However, because MeerKAT has a wide frequency band, the same observations also covered the hydroxyl OH transition. "This allowed us to detect the megamaser in the same dataset," he said.

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He explained that distant systems are targeted because OH megamasers trace gas-rich galaxy mergers, which were more common around cosmic noon. "The detection was scientifically motivated, but the strength of the signal, aided by lensing, was particularly exciting," Dr Manamela said.

"It strengthens the link between mergers, intense star formation, and the environments that can fuel black hole growth," he said.

Dr Manamela explained that gravitational lensing acted as a natural magnifier, boosting the signal from the distant galaxy. "Without lensing, the source would have been significantly fainter and far more difficult to detect," he said.

Regarding the challenges faced, he said the main ones were handling large MeerKAT data volumes and isolating faint spectral signals.

Why this discovery matters for Mzansi

The MeerKAT telescope is located in the Northern Cape. It is already known as one of the most sensitive radio telescopes in the world. It was built as a precursor to the upcoming Square Kilometre Array. The telescope allows astronomers to scan the skies for faint centimetre-wavelength signals.

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Hydroxyl megamasers are rare. Detecting a source this distant is no small feat. Scientists had to process terabytes of data. Advanced computing systems were used to clean and analyse the information. Without a strong data infrastructure, the signal could easily have been missed.

Studies show they trace extreme galaxy collisions where intense star formation takes place and supermassive black holes grow rapidly.

See the full report here:

More cosmic lasers expected

The UP team is now conducting systematic surveys of the universe using MeerKAT. Their goal is to find hundreds, possibly thousands, of similar systems.

The study was accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters, one of the leading astronomy journals globally. It signals that South African-led research is competing at the highest level.

More articles about scientists

• Professor Mike Wingfield, from the University of Pretoria, was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
• The University of KwaZulu-Natal's Africa Health Research Institute led a study to test a cure for HIV.
• At only 26, Hlengane Mokwena has an MSc in Chemistry from the University of Johannesburg.

Source: Briefly News