Square Kilometre Array,
international radio telescope for the 21st century
What
will the SKA do?
It will enable astronomers to see the
formation of the early Universe, including the emergence of
the first stars, galaxies and other structures. This will
shed light on the birth,
and eventual death, of the cosmos. The SKA will also revolutionize
other areas of astronomy and make unique contributions to
basic physics, including the observation of extreme relativistic
effects.
Who is building
the SKA?
An international consortium representing
more than 15 countries. Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada,
China, India and South Africa are some of the participants.
How much
collecting area needs to be built?
SKA goals mean that with a canonical 50
kelvin system temperature, one million square metres (or 1km2
) of effective collecting area will be needed.
How will the collecting area be arranged?
Antennas will be grouped in patches, or
stations, of ~100 m diameter. About 150 stations – accounting
for half the SKA area – will be distributed across continental
distances (~3000
km). The remaining area will be concentrated within a central
region of 5 km diameter.
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