The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), the world’s fastest radio telescope and one the most powerful radio-astronomy instruments on the planet, has been officially opened in Western Australia’s remote Murchinson area.

 

The $160 million telescope forms part of the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, and comprises 36 antennas fitted with the CSIRO designed and developed Phased Array Feed technology.

 

"Through ASKAP, Australia will be providing the world's astronomers with access to a cutting edge facility, enabling research into the origins of the universe, the likes of which we haven't seen before," Minister for Science and Research, Senator Chris Evans said.

 

In just its first six hours of operation ASKAP will generate more information than is currently held in the world's radio-astronomy archives.

 

"Each day, ASKAP's 36 antennas will generate enough data to fill 124 million Blu-ray disks which, if piled on top of one another, would stretch to a height of 62 kilometres."

 

Ground-breaking technology, developed as part of the construction of ASKAP, will provide the basis for a significant component of the world's biggest telescope - the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) - to be co-hosted in South Africa and Australia.

 

"Over coming years, ASKAP infrastructure will be expanded to create an array of 96 dishes as part of the first phase of the SKA project," Senator Evans said.

 

"The SKA will be up to 50 times more sensitive than any existing telescope and have up to 10,000 times the survey speed.

 

"It will give astronomers the ability to study the evolution of galaxies and dark matter, to look for the first black holes and stars and search for life on other planets."