Public talk on the SKA

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Just a heads-up for members in the Wollongong region. Below is the text of a flyer I just recieved.

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The Science Centre & Planetarium will be hosting a FREE Lecture for Innovation Week.

Guest speaker will be Professor Peter Quinn, Director of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Western Australia and graduate of the University of Wollongong.

"SKA - Big Science, Big Business"
Australia and New Zealand are competing with a consortium of Southern African nations to become the host site for the largest astronomical facility of the 21st century. This lecture will review the current status of the international SKA (Square Kilometre Array) effort and outline some of the amazing scientific and technological challenges and opportunities before us as we begin the detained design and construction of the SKA in 2012.

WHEN: Tuesday 24th May at 6.30pm

WHERE: Illawarra Coal Science Theatre, Science Centre & Planetarium
Innovation Campus, Squires Way, North Wollongong

BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL -Spaces are limited!

To book, please call the Science Centre on 4286 5000

[ngcles]

Hi David & All,

Yes, get along to see this if you can -- it is well worth the effort. These talks are being held all over the country so get along and see one. We had one at Sydney Observatory 2 weeks ago by Bryan Gainsler and Fred Watson. This 'scope is the next big thing in Astronomy and it is very important that we get to host it (if we are selected). The short-list is down to two: Aus & NZ -v- South Africa. Technically, our bid is much superior to S.A but will that get us over the line?

100's if not 1000s of jobs will be created and it will place Australia at the very forefront of long-wavelength astronomy for decades.

The amount of data this telescope will produce is staggering -- almost beyond comprehension. It will produce nearly a billion gigabites of raw data -- ie 15 million 64Gb iPods of raw data per day. It can't be archived and stored (even accounting for Moore's law) but will have to be processed and reduced in real time and the raw data dumped. The telescope, while active, will monitor virtually the entire sky above the horizon continuously at both a resolution and depth undreamed of.

We want this telescope built here! Support it ... or else!


Best,

Les D

[astronut (John)]

We at MAS are very priveliged to have Prof Bryan Gaensler as our Patron.
He has been a fountain of information on many matters, including his main passion, The SKA.
We have also hosted many of the scientists that will work on The Ska when it's up and running. Dr Naomi Mclure-Griffiths, Prof Geraint Lewis, Dr Tim Robishaw and Dr Lisa Harvey-Smith, who at the end of 2010 became the project scientist for The SKA.
She will be our speaker for The Macarthur Astronomy Forum, Monday June 20th at UWS Campbelltown.
For more information, go to Macarthur Astronomical Society

Cheers, John.

[Benno18 (Ben)]

I watched about half of a talk at Astrofest WA at Curtin University. Great insite in to what they want to achieve out of this and what a great investment it would be for the Australian community.

Was funny though when talking at there table, i asked the man 'what happens if it dosnt go ahead?' And the look on his face, almost a look of 'dosnt go ahead? Brain not computing?????.
He said that the amount of data that they get out of the first stage will be enough to keep them going for a while.

Looks interseting. Would love to get on the construction, but maybe us normal construction workers are to rough???

[Benno18 (Ben)]

Just found this too. Dosnt seem like much, or is that just me?

http://minister.innovation.gov.au/Ca...EWZEALAND.aspx