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Kilometre array4/6/2023 ![]() ![]() So how does looking out into space help you look back in time? "And so one of the goals is to look back as close to the beginning of the universe as we can." "We can't look very far back with the current generation of telescopes," Phil admits. SKA-low's main job will be to look back in time. Remember how nuts everyone went over a big Moon? Imagine people's excitement when we start making discoveries with the SKA-which is designed to see further into space than ever before. It's the one that seems to resonate with most people. Though my inner biologist hates to admit it, astronomy is kind of the 'people's science'. "For looking back towards the very beginning of the universe, we have to go to very, very low frequencies, and that's one of the strengths of SKA-low." It gets a little complex from here, but Phil tells me SKA-low's frequency aims to detect radiation from the early universe. This frequency is too high for SKA-low, so it would be a job for SKA-mid. Objects in space radiate strongest at different frequencies, which means they're easier to spot with telescopes at the same frequency.įor example, if you wanted to study neutral hydrogen, you'd need to tune in to a frequency of 1.4 gigahertz. "Different frequencies are better for different kinds of astronomy," Phil says. So what's the difference between the low and middle frequencies? "And in South Africa, they will be building SKA-mid, which is the middle frequency range of SKA." "In Australia, we'll be building SKA-low, which is the low frequency part of SKA," Phil tells me. Phil tells me we have nothing to lose by splitting the telescope, as the two parts actually have their own special role to play. Who better to ask than CSIRO's own SKA project scientist, Phil Edwards. Same deal.īoth Australia and South Africa used their prototype telescopes as part of their proposal.īoth countries invested so much in infrastructure for their telescopes, it was decided both deserved to host a part of the SKA.īut, wait, how does that work? Are we losing anything by splitting it up? South Africa also built a telescope called MeerKAT. MWA and ASKAP are radio telescopes which are basically like gen 1 of the SKA. It boasted clear skies, was far from human activity and light pollution and was part of a radio quiet zone.Īustralia used this site to build the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) and the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). This 12,600-hectare plot northeast of Geraldton was the perfect place for a powerful telescope. By the mid noughties, they were ready to choose a home to host such a massive and powerful radio telescope.įive countries put up their hands, but only South Africa and Australia were left standing.īoth countries busily got to work building prototypes for their proposal.Īustralia chose the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) for our site. International panels were formed to get the ball rolling. In order to look back that far, we'd need a telescope with a whole square kilometre of collecting area.īut, while our fashion sense was improving, our technology was still lacking. In the 80s, people were very interested in big bangs, only now they were out in space, not just part of a gravity-defying hairstyle. Since the late 1980s, people talked about building a telescope so big and so sensitive it could look back to the early universe. Or maybe you've never even heard of the Square Kilometre Array! What are these? What happened to the SKA? Did we win? Have we built it? Now you might be hearing more about ASKAP or the MWA. ![]() This is the point for a lot of people where the SKA dropped off the radar. Our country put forward a proposal to host the SKA and then … what happened? The world hadn't ended, and Australia had the chance to get some shiny new toys to play with. ![]() In 2012, you probably heard a lot about the Square Kilometre Array or SKA, particularly how Australia was one of the forerunners for hosting the SKA-the largest telescope in the world. ![]()
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