This project will carry out a full feasibility study to explore building a radio telescope on the saddle region of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Rated to observe at millimeter and submm wavelengths, this dish would join the global network of dishes linked by atomic clocks that form the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). By creating a virtual telescope the size of our planet, the EHT achieved sufficient angular resolution to capture the first image of a supermassive black hole in 2019, and this has opened the door to entirely new studies of black holes. Now, the next-generation EHT (ngEHT) is enhancing the EHT to make movies of black holes to answer the next big questions: how do black holes disrupt the galaxies they reside in and affect the evolution of the Universe?
The study will include a deep and thorough consideration of social, economic, environmental and cultural aspects of placing an astronomical facility in a sensitive area. Pilot programs in education and training are integral parts of the project, and designed to lead to expanded efforts that will positively impact Tanzania, beyond the valuable scientific collaboration that will link US and Tanzanian universities. By the end of the proposed work, we will have built a diverse and international team, explored the feasibility for the project, included all stakeholders from the outset, and formed a plan for implementing an astronomical facility on the Mt. Kilimanjaro saddle region that unites scientists and cultural leaders in pursuit of the biggest questions we can ask.
