1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,440 Speaker 1: Something that's been in the news of Light and we've 2 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:05,520 Speaker 1: seen a bit of footage lately of what we're talking 3 00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 1: about next lease. But this is absolutely fascinating. 4 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 2: You're talking of construction starting on the world's largest radio telescope. 5 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 2: Absolutely joining us now. Professor cath Trot, SKA Low Chief 6 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:21,080 Speaker 2: Operations Scientist, sounds fancy, good morning. 7 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 3: Good morning, good morning. 8 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:26,279 Speaker 2: So this, you know, this always gets people's imagination going 9 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 2: any time you say anything to do with possible communications 10 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 2: with space. What is the SKA Observatory, What is its 11 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 2: purpose and why is it important to have it? 12 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:44,959 Speaker 3: So the SKA Observatory is an international consortium of countries 13 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,279 Speaker 3: trying to build the world's largest radio telescope. So there 14 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 3: are two telescope site. There is a mid frequency radio 15 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 3: array in South Africa and then there is a low 16 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 3: frequency radio array that we're building here in Western Australia. 17 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 3: And this will be the world's largest radio telescope. It 18 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 3: will see the deepest into the universe, the largest view 19 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:07,960 Speaker 3: of the sky, and the most detailed view of the sky. 20 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 3: So it really will deliver transformational science for the world 21 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 3: and hopefully a lot of opportunities here in Western Australia 22 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:14,960 Speaker 3: as well. 23 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: Impressive. Well, just so we can get our bearings of 24 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 1: herd the midwest whereabouts kath Where is it all located. 25 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 3: It's about four hundred kilometers inland from Geraldon, so sort 26 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 3: of north of Nikafara is the Murchison region. But the 27 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 3: observatory itself is in Yarimana Ilgari bundera Csiro Murchison Radio 28 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 3: Astronomy Observatory. And that's a name that was gifted to 29 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 3: the observatory by the Wadery Amergy people and it's their 30 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 3: lands that we're building our telescope on. I go. 31 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 2: I guess it's fairly obvious that the reason why wear 32 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 2: such an ideal place to set these sort of things 33 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 2: up is because of the wide open space. Is there 34 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 2: anything else about us that makes us so attractive to 35 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 2: this sort of thing? 36 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 3: Absolutely? Western Australia is one of the last unique locations 37 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 3: in the world that's radio quiet. But that means away 38 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 3: from people, away from technology. All of our mobile phones, 39 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 3: our TVs, they all cause a large amount of noise 40 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,679 Speaker 3: and we can't see the universe because we can only 41 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 3: see ourselves. 42 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 1: Oh is that amazing? Look I've seen some of this footage, Cath, 43 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: and this is let's come from. We'll give you some 44 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: really basic a really basic question. I saw a journal 45 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: standing amongst the sea of antenna's. I know there's one 46 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty one thousand or something. Is there any 47 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:30,079 Speaker 1: danger being close to antenna's like that? Is there any risk? 48 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 3: Is it? 49 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: No? 50 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 3: No, not at all. That they're passive antennas. They just 51 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 3: received there's nothing you can hang on to them. It 52 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 3: doesn't make me different, right, Kath. 53 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 2: What are you hoping to find with them? 54 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 3: There are a lot of different science we want to do. 55 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 3: My personal science is called the cosmic Dawn. So this 56 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 3: is looking thirteen point six billion years into our past. 57 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 3: That's two hundred million years after the Big Bang. And 58 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 3: what we're looking for there is the birth is the 59 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 3: very first stars and galaxies that existed in the universe, 60 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,359 Speaker 3: the first of the universes. We see it as at 61 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 3: the moment with all of the light. This is a 62 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,079 Speaker 3: really key period in the evolution of the universe, and 63 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 3: we've never observed it before. That the SKA Observitree will 64 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 3: have the ability to look that deep into the universe 65 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:16,079 Speaker 3: and really understand how and when those first stars were 66 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 3: born it does. 67 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 2: No matter how hard I try, I can never quite 68 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 2: get my head around that hole. You're seeing something that happened, 69 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 2: you know, so many issues. 70 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, back to the future of it. 71 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 2: It's so bizarre. Aliens, Kath any chance of finding aliens 72 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:32,519 Speaker 2: on home. 73 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 3: Look, there are a couple of science experiments that will 74 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 3: be looking for organic molecules around other stars. But there's 75 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 3: always the possibility when you have something that's very sensitive, 76 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 3: like a like the SKA, that we will see radio 77 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 3: signals from other planets and maybe either life. You never know, 78 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 3: you never know. 79 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: Don't give up there, Handy mightty pants put a ball 80 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: on one of those Christmas trees because that's why they 81 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: look like silver Christy trees out there. 82 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 3: I have to admit that we do that every year 83 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 3: a university. We won't be doing it. We won't be 84 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 3: doing it on the telescope itself because that will probably 85 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 3: interfere with our signals. Certainly the ones we have, Yes, 86 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 3: they are Christmas tree like. 87 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 2: Also, what is amazing about space is that what we 88 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 2: know is just only a tiny drop in the space ocean, 89 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 2: isn't it. Are we likely to get around to finding 90 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:26,479 Speaker 2: other galaxies and planets that we have never seen before. 91 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 3: Absolutely. In fact, every time we've built a radio telescope, 92 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 3: we've discovered something that we've never imagined before, a new 93 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 3: mystery to solve. And the SKA is so much bigger 94 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,280 Speaker 3: and so much more sensitive than any telescope that we've 95 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 3: had before in at radio wavelengths that we're bound to 96 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 3: discover something new that we haven't even imagined yet, and 97 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,359 Speaker 3: that'll just add to the pieces of the puzzle of 98 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 3: how the universe evolved, right. 99 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: O, cath I love how there's been a bit of 100 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaker 1: a publicity blitz on this one in the last couple 101 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: of days, and rightly so so some of the footage 102 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: we've seen the silver Christmas trees. Where are we at 103 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: in the process right now putting it all together, because 104 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: it looks like there's a lot there already. 105 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 3: There's a few there at the moment. We have a 106 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:09,840 Speaker 3: couple of prototype stations and we'll be building another one 107 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 3: of those next year, and that's really just a nail 108 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:14,720 Speaker 3: down the technology, nail down the design to make sure 109 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:17,600 Speaker 3: we have it just right, and then we'll be starting 110 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 3: to build out the earlier rays from about a year 111 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 3: from now and full construction and operations in about eight 112 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 3: years time, so by the end of this decade it'll 113 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,479 Speaker 3: be ready to go and it'll be fifty years of 114 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 3: operations for future generations of Western Australians to do great science. 115 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 2: There's one last question that I like to ask, Kath 116 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 2: of all our astronomy professors, and by all our astronomy professors, 117 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 2: I mean I've had this opportunity twice now this year. 118 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:44,719 Speaker 2: That's all right, have you watched and do your love 119 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:45,720 Speaker 2: for all bad kinds? 120 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:48,279 Speaker 3: I have not watched that yet. 121 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:52,279 Speaker 2: No, it's really good. Put it on, put it on 122 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 2: your list. 123 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 3: I will, I will thank you. That can be for 124 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 3: something for over the summer. 125 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, just when you get time a really good's 126 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 1: a big build. 127 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 2: Apple Apple all right, Professor t lovely to chat with you, 128 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:06,000 Speaker 2: and good luck with it all. 129 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:07,480 Speaker 3: Thank you so much. 130 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: So it's really early days, isn't it. 131 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 2: Hopefully she'll keep us posted on what she 132 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 1: Finds absolutely and then gives us a review on the 133 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 1: show that you just talked about.