image source, WILL
Work on one of the greatest science projects of the 21st century begins today.
When completed in 2028, it will be the world’s largest radio telescope. Its name is SKA. ie square kilometers array. Square Kilometer Collection.
It will be capable of answering many of the mysteries of astronomy.
Its basis is to combine several small telescopes together to form a giant telescope.
The telescope will act as a link between South Africa and Australia. Its headquarters will operate in the UK.
It will carry out experiments on theories formulated by the great scientist Einstein and explore beyond the solar system.
Representatives from the eight countries that make up the program attend ceremonies in the Murchison Shire in Western Australia and the Karoo in the far north of South Africa.
The bulldozers will start their work after the performances.
“This is the moment when the dream becomes reality,” said Phil Diamond, CEO of KSA.
“It’s been a 30-year journey. The first 10 years were conceptualized and the ideas were developed. The second 10 years were spent on technology development. The last decade was spent developing the detailed design, getting government approvals, raising funds,” he told BBC News.
In the initial design of the telescope, about 200 parabolic antennas, or dishes, would be installed. Apart from these, 1,31,000 double-ended antennas will be installed like a Christmas tree.
The aim is to create a data collection area covering lakhs of square meters.
This configuration gives the SKA unparalleled sensitivity when scanning targets in space.
image source, WILL
The system operates in the frequency range of about 50 MHz to 25 GHz. In terms of wavelength, it ranges from centimeters to several meters.
The framework will help detect everything from signals emitted a few million years after the ‘Big Bang’ to faint radio signals from cosmic sources billions of light-years away.
Tracing the entire history of hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, will be one of SKA’s most important studies.
“SKA will make many important contributions to astronomy,” said Shari Breen, head of the program’s science operations.
“These include already-discovered features called ‘fast radio bursts’. These emit in a second as much energy as our Sun emits in a year. We don’t know what they are. How is that possible? I hope the SKA answers.”
The telescope is being built in areas already used for radio astronomy on a small scale.
Expanding the site for the telescope requires agreements with farmers in the Karoo, South Africa, as well as the Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal people in Murchison, Australia.
Vazarri community SKA. Arrangements have been made for the inauguration of the structure.
Agreements regarding land acquisition will be announced on this day itself.
Together with these, the total expenditure so far will be Rs 4,300 crore. The total budget of the project is around Rs 16 thousand crores.
The first major milestone should be reached in 2024. A basic telescope with four dishes in Australia and six dishes in South Africa.
image source, WILL
The project will have a data collection area of 5,00,000 square meters by 2028. However, it can be expanded up to 10 lakh square meters or one square kilometer.
But this is only possible if more and more countries join the system and provide the necessary funding.
Current members of this organization are: South Africa, Australia, Britain, China, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland.
France, Spain and Germany are also trying to join.
Canada, India, Sweden, South Korea and Japan have also expressed interest in joining.
“We are also talking to other countries to see how interested they are in joining the programme,” says Professor Diamond.
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