The telescope was opened at a ceremony at Australia’s SKA site, the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, by MWA Director Professor Steven Tingay, Western Australian Minister for Science and Innovation John Day, Special Minister for State Gary Grey, and Curtin University Vice Chancellor Professor Jeanette Hacket (pictured). It is the second telescope to be opened on Australia’s SKA site in two months after the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope was officially opened in October.
Built by 13 Institutes from Australia, India, New Zealand and the USA, the MWA will peer back to the earliest stages of the universe to document the birth of the earliest stars and galaxies, and monitor our nearest star – the Sun - for potentially disruptive solar activity. As an SKA pathfinder, the MWA provides valuable experience for the completion of the low frequency SKA to be built in Australia.
For more information about the MWA telescope and its official opening, visit the MWAtelescope.org website.