Knowledge & Atheism

Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder

(ASKAP)

Some of you may be aware what this is, if not I’m going to explain it. As you can tell by the name, yes this is a radio telescope. But that’s not what’s important I am going to explain why Australia is going to be home to the next leap forward in Radio Telescope technology. These radio telescopes will help students at universities or just Astronomers and Astrophysicists provide answers that we have been waiting for with a deeper look into the cosmos than we have had before. This telescope will see the origins of the early universe possibly some of the luminous glows from after the big bang. It will also be able to observe the earliest forming nebulas and galaxies.

It will provide the highest resolution images in astronomy; it will require high powered computer servers, greater than the current global internet needs. The budget for this is €1.5 billion, this array is being built by CSIRO, and it will tune in with other global radio telescopes so we can get some of the deepest looks into the universe. It has been built out in the Mid West region of Western Australia. So as most Australian’s will know it as “The Middle of No where” These telescopes aren’t just limited to Western Australia that is just where 3 quarters of the telescopes will be placed.

The rest will be spread out through: Northern Territory, Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. It had to be built out far from any cities with: Radio, TV signals, Mobile Signals etc. They didn’t want these signals interfering with these telescopes and finding false data. For the first five years of this telescope array it will be used for large Survey Science Projects, each needing more than 1500 hours to complete. It uses a frequency of 1.5 GHz, 300 MHz instantaneous bandwidth with high-resolution and continuum modes. ASKAP will also use 36 Radio dishes that have a diameter of 12 meters.

So I believe this will be a major step ahead of current radio telescopes built.

~ Kordell

Sources for further reading:

Websites used to study this topic:

http://www.ska.gov.au/news/Pages/090901-CSIROsetssciencepathforASKAP.aspx

http://www.atnf.csiro.au/projects/mira/

http://www.csiro.au/en/Outcomes/Understanding-the-Universe/Operating-our-radio-telescopes/ASKAP.aspx

http://theconversation.edu.au/csiro-launches-the-askap-telescope-and-a-new-chapter-for-radio-astronomy-begins-9991

http://www.ska.gov.au/media/pubs/Documents/anzSKA_factsheet_ASKAP_TO_v2-1007.pdf