China Building world's largest Radio telescope

[Eratosthenes]

'Fast' & vast: China building world's largest 500-meter radio telescope
http://www.rt.com/news/310736-China-largest-radio-telescope/

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--reGaITqo--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1355046751620859824.jpg

[clive milne]

If they built another 4 (and joined all 5 together) they would have a telescope with approximately the same collecting area as the SKA

[Eratosthenes]

true - although the individual dishes used in the SKA are not very large.
less than 20m in diameter I believe.

Composite dish networks do have that advantage. In fact similar set ups are constructed with mirrors. The spaces/gaps between the collectors can be compensated for.

In this case, the Chinese have chosen what looks like a small valley to construct the dish - similar set up to the dish in Peurto Rico. the earth's rotation is used to direct the dish.

I suppose one could space out half a dozen 12m dishes and claim a 100 sq km array. Not sure how well it will work though

[clive milne]

Mate, I think you misunderstand the nature of the SKA.
When completed it will have more than one square kilometre in collecting surface through an array of antennas distributed over a much larger area.
It is anticipated that there will be in the order of a couple of thousand 15m dishes in total (located across Africa) plus up to a million low frequency antennas (located in Australia)

[sil]

skate park? :)

[Eratosthenes]

well that certainly changes the numbers... a bit, doesnt it clive:D

[mswhin63]

Just to clarify little bit. The The square Kilometre Array will have an aperture of many thousands of kilometres, but its sensitivity will only be that of 1 km² +/- technology boosts.

The Chinese telescope will have both the aperture and sensitivity of 500 m diameter of approx 0.196 km².

The Chinese telescope if it is similar to the one in South America it will be able to direct its reception using a tracking device on the director mounted overhead. It will not be as good as the SKA.

[clive milne]

Credit to the Chinese though... they are also a full partner in the SKA
(unlike the US, France, Spain, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Japan, Korea, Israel and others.... who elected not to participate)
The SKA will be the biggest telescope in the world when it is completed and we can thank;
South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, China, Italy, Canada, United Kingdom, Sweden and the Netherlands. (plus quite few other African states)

[Eratosthenes]

The more detection infrastructure pointing at the heavens the better.

If you consider the amount of money and energy spent globally on defense and the militarisation of states, the funding of the explorative sciences is modest in comparison. The USA for example forks out about a trillion dollars per year to fund its military which makes up about half the worlds total expenditure.

I recall the Bush regime in about 2004 changing the Basic motto of NASA. The statement that NASA should direct its efforts to improving "humanity" on earth was removed. The other change made by the Bush mob, was to mandate that all NASA projects have a civil goals (ie military) as well as a scientific element.

In many ways scientific research in the world today, has regressed for various reasons - the corporatisation of research and state budgets being coupled with short term profits and commercial drivers etc. Fundamental research has been severely pushed back into the background and is being drip fed (imo). And fundamental Astronomical research, even with some exceptions and major projects being funded, has suffered badly as a result.

So any new astronomical infrastructure and projects are welcomed and a breath of fresh air:)

[Peter Ward]

Actually with the Federal government's decimation of the CSIRO they have also acquired significant slices of Australian real-estate for the purpose of radio astronomy.

Photo attached

[astroboof]

The more things change the more some things stay the same.. check out the boxing gloves. Pic taken at Parkes facility visitor centre 2010.