* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Square Kilometre Array

Blobrana · L

Australia's chance of securing the world's largest, most powerful radio telescope depends on maintaining ''radio quietness'' near areas of Western Australia where radio communication is central to mining operations.
Australia and South Africa are shortlisted bidders to host the multi-billion-dollar Square Kilometre Array telescope. Its base will gather data from thousands of antennae, allowing a deeper view of the universe. The decision is expected in February.
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Blobrana · L

South Africa is ready to host the world's biggest radio telescope and the country is not going to "play dirty" or be distracted by people who can't accept that Africa is capable of hosting and managing the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
That's the word from Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor, who addressed the 7th World Conference of Science Journalists in Doha yesterday.
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Blobrana · L

Young Aussies make little version of a big telescope

Innovation Minister Kim Carr took part in a cute photo opportunity on the lawn of Parliament House yesterday with primary school students who made a replica of the Square Kilometre Array, or SKA.
Senator Carr said the weather was a little chilly for the event, but didn't dampen the mood.
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Blobrana · L

Title: Cosmology with the Square Kilometre Array
Authors: Steve Rawlings

We review how the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will address fundamental questions in cosmology, focussing on its use for neutral Hydrogen (HI) surveys. A key enabler of its unique capabilities will be large (but smart) receptors in the form of aperture arrays. We outline the likely contributions of Phase-1 of the SKA (SKA1), Phase-2 SKA (SKA2) and pathfinding activities (SKA0). We emphasise the important role of cross-correlation between SKA HI results and those at other wavebands such as: surveys for objects in the EoR with VISTA and the SKA itself; and huge optical and near-infrared redshift surveys, such as those with HETDEX and Euclid. We note that the SKA will contribute in other ways to cosmology, e.g. through gravitational lensing and H_{0} studies.

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Blobrana · L

Title: The Square Kilometre Array
Authors: Steve Rawlings, Richard Schilizzi

We review the current status of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) by outlining the science drivers for its Phase-1 (SKA1) and setting out the timeline for the key decisions and milestones on the way to the planned start of its construction in 2016. We explain how Phase-2 SKA (SKA2) will transform the research scope of the SKA infrastructure, placing it amongst the great astronomical observatories and survey instruments of the future, and opening up new areas of discovery, many beyond the confines of conventional astronomy.

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Blobrana · L

The bid to host the world's largest radio telescope is heating up, with researchers in Australia and New Zealand pinning down new technology that can quickly process extreme amounts of data created by new generation radio telescopes.
Curtin University in Perth and Victoria University in Wellington have jointly received a supercomputer facility, which will be hosted at Curtin University and was donated by computing giant IBM.
The computer system will enable real time imaging of the cosmos, which could help bolster Australia-New Zealand's bid to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA)
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Blobrana · L

Jodrell Bank chosen as base for largest radio telescope

Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire has been selected as the headquarters for a £1.3bn project to build the world's biggest radio telescope.
An agreement to run the Square Kilometre Array from Jodrell Bank was signed in Rome by Australia, China, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK.
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Blobrana · L

SKA announces Founding Board and selects Jodrell Bank Observatory to host Project Office

Nine national governmental and research organisations have today established a Founding Board for the global Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project. Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK signed a Letter of Intent in Rome, declaring their common ambition to see the SKA built, and agreed to work together to secure funding for the next phase of the SKA project. The new Board has announced that the SKA Project Office (SPO) will be based at the Jodrell Bank Observatory near Manchester in the United Kingdom. This new management structure will guide the project into the next phase of development.
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Blobrana · L

World's biggest radio telescope, Square Kilometre Array

Scientists from 20 countries are working on plans to create a vast network of radio telescopes, the size of a continent that could reveal the birth of planets and galaxies, the mysteries of dark energy as well as joining the search for signals from alien civilisations.
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) takes its name from the size of its collecting area. But instead of a single radio dish 1km across, it will be made up of thousands of smaller ones.
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