Construction of the world’s largest radio telescope has begun
In Australia
A huge technological upgrade awaits the astronomical community as construction has begun on the Australian leg of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), a system that will become the world’s largest radio telescope. This combined radio telescope is expected to transform astronomy by studying the early universe. The idea of a multi-track radio telescope around the world came in 1991 and its extreme sensitivity is also capable of researching extraterrestrial life, since it will be able to “spot an airport radar on a planet tens of light years away “.
Australia’s SKA will consist of 131,072 tree-shaped antennas, focus on low frequencies and is expected to be eight times more sensitive than existing telescopes, mapping the universe 135 times faster.
Another piece of it with 197 conventional dishes which will focus on mid frequencies is expected to be built in South Africa’s Meerkat National Park.
The SKA is not expected to be completed until 2028, and it will take several years for scientists to collect and decipher the results. But the wait is worth it as it is being billed as a “generation change” in astronomy technology, shaping the next 50 years in the field.
