Part of | Australia Telescope National Facility Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory Square Kilometre Array |
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Location(s) | Western Australia, AUS |
Coordinates | 26°41′46″S 116°38′13″E / 26.696°S 116.637°E |
Organization | CSIRO |
Telescope style | radio interferometer |
Website | www |
Related media on Commons | |
The ASKAP radio telescope is a radio telescope array located at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in the Mid West region of Western Australia.
The facility began as a technology demonstrator for the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA), an internationally planned radio telescope which will be larger and more sensitive.[1] The ASKAP site has been selected as one of the SKA's two central locations.[2]
It is operated by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and forms part of the Australia Telescope National Facility.[3] Construction commenced in late 2009 and first light was in October 2012.[4][5]
ASKAP consists of 36 identical parabolic antennas, each 12 m (39 ft) in diameter, working together as a single astronomical interferometer with a total collecting area of approximately 4,000 m2 (43,000 sq ft). Each antenna is equipped with a phased-array feed (PAF), significantly increasing the field of view. This design provides both fast survey speed and high sensitivity.