SCOPE-OFF: South Africa has already built seven radio telescopes as prototypes for the proposed Square Kilometer Array.
Image: SKA SOUTH AFRICA
-
Gravity's Engines
We’ve long understood black holes to be the points at which the universe as we know it comes to an end. Often billions of times more massive than the Sun, they...
Read More »
A scientific panel has narrowly recommended South Africa over Australia as the best site for the proposed Square Kilometre Array (SKA), an enormous radio telescope (see "Astronomy in South Africa: The long shot"). But the project's member states have yet to make a final decision on where the telescope will go.
The SKA Site Advisory Committee's decision was first reported on March 10 in the Sydney Morning Herald. A source familiar with the site-selection process confirmed to Nature that the panel had indeed made a decision, but added that it was a close call. "This is not an enormous preference for one over the other," he says. (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.)
The $2.1-billion SKA radio telescope will be made up of some 3,000 dishes, each 15 meters in diameter. The project will try to answer big questions about the early universe: how the first elements heavier than helium formed, for example, and how the first galaxies coalesced. The telescope is so sensitive that it could even pick up television signals from distant worlds—something that might aid in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Since 2006, South Africa has competed against a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand to host the project. The South African site has some compelling advantages: construction costs are lower, and it sits at a higher altitude. But the Australian site would be cheaper to insure, and is less likely to be encroached on by future development. The margin in favour of the winner was extremely narrow, the source says.
Members of the SKA's board will meet on March 19 in Manchester, UK, to discuss the scientific panel's recommendations. The closed meeting will also provide the two bidders with the opportunity to contest any of the panel's recommendations. After the meeting, the SKA's board will write a commentary to accompany the recommendation, which will inform the final decision.
According to Nature's source, because the two sites are so close in merit, both are still in contention. China, Italy, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands—the SKA voting board members—could yet decide either way. It is even possible that the array could be shared between both nations, although this would probably increase the construction costs.
A final site decision could come as soon as April 4, when a meeting of the board is tentatively scheduled in Amsterdam.
This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on March 9, 2012.
See what we're tweeting about
5 Comments
Add Comment"The telescope is so sensitive that it could even pick up television signals from distant worlds..."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow, I wonder what ancient alien TV programs would be like - new sitcoms for Nick at Night?
Was the regime a factor in the selection? Was corruption a factor in the selection? Was racism a factor in the selection? It should have been. If the scientific community had any decency, they should have chosen Australia. This is just rewarding bad behavior.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile I am a fan of Australia for a variety of reasons, I'm not sure you had any valid complaints. The South African government is far less racist than its predecessor. I haven't seen any comparisons of corruption levels between the two candidate countries but neither has a reputation for corruption. I wonder what your motivation is.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI only get over-the-air television. This news is disheartening. I was hoping for some alien cable. Wow! Imagine, topless aliens!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou seem to have missed reality. The current South African government is much more racist than the previous one could dream to be. The only difference is that the racism is reversed. White people in the current South Africa is seriously discriminated against, which is really bizarre, it is the only country in the world where there is an affirmative race based action in place favouring the large majority group over a small minority group. It is easy to research the draconian race based policies of the ANC South African government for yourself. While you are at it, also Google South African corruption, it is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Corruption has become endemic. Here is a starting point: http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/cop-to-be-tried-for-fraud-1.1274851
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe current political stability of the country is also in doubt, just look at the current civil unrest in the country. All these factors should be taken into account and then Australia does seem to make more sense.