An international team of astronomers used the state-of-the-art capability of VERA, a Japanese network of radio telescopes operated by NAOJ, to uncover valuable clues about how rapidly growing “young” supermassive black holes form, grow, and possibly evolve into more powerful quasars.
Through radio observations using VLBI networks, a supernova discovered in a nearby galaxy has revealed that its progenitor star's mass ejection activity had increased several decades before the explosion. This discovery, which was obtained by comparing the observational results with theoretical models, contributes to our understanding of massive star evolution and demonstrates the utility of small-scale VLBI networks in the research of transient astronomical events.
We have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for an international VLBI network that will combine approximately 20 radio telescopes in the East Asian region in Japan, South Korea, and China to achieve resolution equivalent to a giant radio telescope with a maximum diameter of 5,500 km.