Radio Astronomy: The End of Big Dishes?

Important note: This special presentation of SETI Talks will be held at a different time than usual (10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 1700 UTC)

Big-single dish radio astronomy observatories such as the 305-m Arecibo Observatory and the 500-m FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope) have made key breakthroughs in science, including the discovery of the first extrasolar planets. Recently, interferometric telescopes such as MeerKAT in Australia, ASKAP (Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder), and CHIME (Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment) have opened up new observing windows. These experiments are all precursor to the SKA (Square Kilometer Array), whose construction will begin in 2021 and is expected to be the most sensitive radio telescope ever built.

Why this explosion of radio telescope projects?

What’s the scientific reasoning for building arrays separated across continents?

What challenges do astronomers and engineers face?

Finally, what kind of science are these arrays useful for and will SETI benefit from their capabilities?