LabOnline 12/13/2022
Construction on the world’s largest radio astronomy observatory, the SKA Observatory (SKAO), officially launched last week with groundbreaking ceremonies held at future telescope sites in Australia and South Africa. An international collaboration of 16 countries, the SKAO will be one of the biggest science facilities on Earth.
The SKA telescopes will initially comprise 131,072 antennas in Australia (SKA-Low), which will be built at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory on Wajarri Country in Western Australia; and 197 dishes in South Africa (SKA-Mid), to be built in the Karoo in South Africa. Together these telescopes are set to provide an unparalleled view of the universe, in what Australian Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic described as an extraordinary feat of astronomy, scientific infrastructure and international cooperation.
“This first-of-its-kind technology will allow astronomers to tackle fundamental scientific questions, ranging from the birth of the universe to the origins of life,” Husic said.
Among its many science goals, SKA-Low will explore the first billion years after the so-called ‘dark ages’ of the universe, when the first ever stars and galaxies were forming. It will map the structure of the infant universe for the first time, enabling scientists to watch the births and deaths of the first stars, and help us to understand how the earliest galaxies formed.
“Over the past 50 years we’ve seen our understanding of the universe revolutionised,” said Dr Sarah Pearce, SKA-Low Telescope Director and head of telescope operations in Australia.
“The SKA Observatory will define the next 50 years for radio astronomy, charting the birth and death of galaxies, searching for new types of gravitational waves and expanding the boundaries of what we know about the universe.
More:
https://www.labonline.com.au/content/research-development/article/construction-begins-on-world-s-largest-radio-telescopes-653619725
