The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) is an international scientific project based in the UK, with India joining as a member in December 2022.
The Square Kilometer Array (SKA), which is set to be the world’s largest radio telescope, has taken a big step forward by completing its first observations. This shows that part of the telescope, still under construction, is now working.
SKA is made up of thousands of radio antennas, with 197 in South Africa and over 131,000 in Australia. Together, these antennas will work as one huge radio telescope. The antennas in South Africa are called SKA-Mid, while the ones in Australia are known as SKA-Low. These names reflect the different radio frequency ranges they will study.
This project aims to help scientists explore the universe in a new way. It will allow them to study the origins of the universe, how galaxies are formed and evolve, and even search for the origins of life.
First Observations from SKA-Low
Recently, astronomers and engineers at SKA-Low in Australia combined data from two of its stations to make the first observations. This showed that SKA-Low can now work as an interferometer, a key tool used in radio astronomy.
An interferometer uses the interaction of waves to make very precise measurements. It allows scientists to study things like the distance between objects in space or even detect gravitational waves. Both SKA-Low and SKA-Mid will act as interferometers.
The first results from SKA-Low came just six months after the first antennas were installed in Western Australia, proving that the telescope is starting to work as planned.
International Project with India’s Involvement
SKA is an international science project, with its main office in the United Kingdom. India, which has been part of the project from the beginning, officially became a full member of the international team in December 2022.
Size and Scale of SKA-Low and SKA-Mid
SKA-Low in Australia will have over 131,000 antennas, each two meters tall. SKA-Mid in South Africa will have 197 large dish antennas. SKA-Low will operate in the 50 to 350 MHz frequency range, while SKA-Mid will cover 350 MHz to 15.4 GHz. Together, these will allow for a wide range of observations.
Each of SKA-Low’s 512 stations will have 256 antennas. By August, 1,024 antennas had been installed in four stations, with the first installed in March. In early August, SKA-Low produced its first image of the sky. SKA-Mid also produced its first image in January using its prototype dish.
India’s Role in SKA
India’s main contribution to the SKA project so far has been in software development. Indian scientists are creating software to control the antennas and handle the data for both SKA-Low and SKA-Mid. In the past few months, Indian teams have also been analyzing the data collected by these antennas.
By early next year, Indian scientists and industries will begin developing and building the digital hardware that will process signals at each of SKA-Low’s 256 stations. Teams from India and Italy will work on this task together. India is also preparing tools that will be needed once the telescope starts producing large amounts of data.
The progress made so far is a major step toward the SKA’s goal of exploring the universe, and India is playing an important role in making this possible.