ASKAP antennas named by local Aboriginal community

 (Photo Credit: Ant Schinckel, CSIRO)

The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope has had its first six antennas named by the local Wajarri Aboriginals. The chosen names for the first six ASKAP antennas include: Bilyarli (galah); Bundarra (stars); Wilara (the Moon); Jirdilungu (the Milky Way); Balayi (a lookout, as this antenna looks down westward to others); and Diggidumble (a nearby table-top hill).

The names were bestowed by representatives of seven Aboriginal families at a ceremony at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO), during which name plaques were fixed to each antenna.

The remainder of the 36 antennas along with local roads and other structures will also eventually receive local Wajarri names once they are constructed.

CSIRO's ASKAP Director, Antony ("Ant") Schinckel has also been given a Wajarri name -"Minga", which means "ant".

Australia's SKA bid goes green

The Australian government has announced $47.3 Million in funding to provide clean, renewable energy to two of the precursor facilities currently being built in preparation for Australia and New Zealand to host the full Square Kilometer Array Facility.

The Pawsey High-Performance Computing Centre in Kensington will be powered by a geo-thermal demonstrator facility, with the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory using a new Solar Storage system.


The construction of the new energy projects will commence in November 2010, and be completed by Mid 2013.

The Australian government is once again showing its strong commitment to host the SKA project, with well over $200 Million in funding provided in new facilities so far to strengthen Australia's chances in hosting the full facility.

Aussies and Kiwis link up to boost SKA chances

Six radio telescopes across both Australia and New Zealand have linked up to perform Radio Astronomy for the first time, creating a telescope baseline of 5500km. In doing so, they have created images that are 10 times more detailed than those of the Hubble Telescope.

The team from Australian and New Zealand imaged the Centaurus A galaxy, which is over 14 million light years away. The team included Auckland University of Technology’s Warkworth telescope, three CSIRO telescopes in New South Wales, the new Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) facility in WA, and the University of Tasmania’s dish near Hobart.

The new link up was enabled by the new 1Gbps Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN) connection allowing data transfer across the Tasman.

I must say, I find this “competitive science” attitude between Australia and South Africa wonderful, with both countries trying to out-science each other in the race for the SKA. In the end, it seems the science is the true winner, with the reverse situation than normal occurring. Politicians coming to scientists, and asking what they can do for them!

The CSIRO media release is here.


Well done Team ANZ SKA.

ASKAP recieves first signals

CSIRO has announced that the first antenna for the ASKAP project has received its first light, or radio waves as the case may be.

The first of the 36 dishes was tested with satellite signals during its holography process to measure the shape after construction. The folks at CSIRO along with their contractors have been working hard to assemble the first dish over summer, out in the soaring temperatures at the "Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory" in the middle of nowhere in the Western Australian outback.

The test results show that the antenna is working beautifully, beyond specifications." CSIRO ASKAP Project Director Dr David DeBoer said.

Not bad for the new 3-axis design that they've been working on for ASKAP.

Some clearly good signs for Australia's chances of hosting the full SKA facility.

ASKAP Antenna Number 1. (Photo : CSIRO)