Melbourne: Scientists in Australia claim
to have successfully tested the first antenna on the world's
largest, most sensitive international radio telescope -- still
under construction.
The first antenna to be assembled as part of the
Australia Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope
which is expected to be completed by 2013, has received its
first radio signals.
The first of 36 identical 12-metre dishes that
will make up the ASKAP telescope, the antenna was assembled
over the Australian summer at the Murchison Radio-astronomy
Observatory in the Mid West region of Western Australia.
The first radio signals were received from a
satellite and were part of a project to measure the shape of
the antenna's surface using holography.
This involves combining a satellite test signal
reflected from the antenna's surface with the same signal
received by a small 'reference' dish, producing an image that
shows if the antenna's surface deviates from the 'perfect'
shape, say the scientists.
"It's a great moment -- the first time a telescope
receives light or radio waves -- is always very satisfying and
exciting. It means the project is firmly on track. The test
results show that the antenna is working beautifully, beyond
specifications," CSIRO's ASKAP Project Director Dr David
DeBoer said.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 04, 2010, 19:09