Australia starts operating MWA telescope to explore universe origins

July 12, 2013

Taking a major step towards the ambitious Square Kilometre Array (SKA) astronomy project, Australia has switched on a test telescope named Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) to explore the origins of the universe.

What is Murchison Widefield Array (MWA)?

Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a low-frequency radio telescope operating at the remote outback site that will host the SKA. The array will help in exploring the origins of the universe, in understanding the interaction b/w the Earth and the Sun, give early warning of destructive solar flares and study our galaxy and other galaxies. The telescope consists of 2,048 dipole antennae, arranged into 128 “tile” clusters, about 100 km west of Meekathara in the deep radio silence of Australia’s remote red-sand desert.