New Radio Telescope Wants To Discover Alien Life In the Universe

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New Radio Telescope Wants To Discover Alien Life In the Universe
Photo Credit: SKA

Extraterrestrial life has always been a topic of interest for astronomers and space enthusiasts alike. While we are yet to find the faintest of clues of alien life, scientists haven’t stopped looking for them as yet. Well, a new facility in the Australian Outback will be joining the hunt for alien life.

 

The construction of the world’s largest radio telescope has kicked off around 515km north of the western city of Perth. When the construction work of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is finished, the $2 billion facility will be capable of capturing the entire observable universe in great detail.

 

SKA To Give Christmas Vibes

The radio telescope will feature over 130,000 Christmas tree-shaped antennas that will offer scientists and astronomers valuable deep-space data, enabling them to unravel mysteries of deep space.

The antennas will be scanning the observable universe to find low-range radio frequencies between 50MHz and 350 MHz. The telescope will be capable of mapping the universe 135 times faster than existing telescopes.

“The scale of the SKA represents a huge leap forward in both engineering and research and development, towards building and delivering a unique instrument,” the SKA Organization’s website reads. “As one of the largest scientific endeavors in history, the SKA will bring together a wealth of the world’s finest scientists, engineers, and policymakers to bring the project to fruition.”

It added that its unique configuration will give those using the facility “unrivaled scope in observations, largely exceeding the image resolution quality of the Hubble Space Telescope.”

Three Decades In The Making

The new radio telescope will work in tandem with a similar project in South Africa, which will leverage around 200 space-facing dishes. The SKA has been 30 years in the making and will take around six more years to build.

Astronomers will be able to study the data gathered by the SKA before the construction work is completed, which means the telescope will start serving space findings in just a few years.

“The science goals are as vast as the telescope itself, from searching for forming planets and signs of alien life, to mapping out the cosmic web of dark matter and the growing of galaxies within those vast universe-spanning filaments,” said Alan Duffy, lead scientist of the Royal Institution of Australia, as quoted by Brisbane Times.

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