The world’s largest radio telescope should open its skies to all

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Observatory has been more than 25 years in the planning and design, but finally launched earlier this month with the first meeting of its governing council. Construction of what will be the world’s largest radio telescope will start this summer, after an international treaty governing its membership and operations came into force in January.The SKA will comprise around 2,000 parabolic dish-shaped radio receivers and up to one million antennas. These will be sited in South Africa and Australia, and there are plans to expand into eight other African countries, including Ghana, Kenya and Madagascar. In total, the array will have a receiving area of well over one square kilometre — hence the telescope’s name — providing an unprecedented view of the southern skies.