Exploring the cosmos with a giant radio telescope
How do we "see" the Universe with a radio telescope? Is there alien life in our Galaxy and how can we find out? How dangerous is the super-massive Black Hole at the centre of our Galaxy? Is it possible to see the light from the first stars to ever shine?
And is it justified to spend money on a giant telescope when there is so much poverty in the country? How can a big science project like the SKA help to de-colonise science?
The Square Kilometre Array will be the world's biggest astronomy telescope - and it is
being built mainly here in South Africa. It will be much more powerful than existing radio telescopes, allowing us to answer some of the biggest questions about our Galaxy and our Universe, from testing Einstein's theory of gravity in extreme environments to understanding the nature of the Dark Energy which is driving other galaxies away from us at an ever-increasing rate.
The SKA project is a historic opportunity for science in South Africa - and Africa as a whole. In this talk, Roy Maartens will take us on a tour of some of the amazing science that can be done with the SKA, as well as opening a discussion on some of the broader social questions related to the SKA.
This event is made possible thanks to financial support by the National Research Foundation.
Image: traffic lights kaleidoscope ii (mike krzeszak/flickr)
Roy Maartens
Exploring the cosmos with a giant radio telescope
How do we "see" the Universe with a radio telescope? Is there alien life in our Galaxy and how can we find out? How dangerous is the super-massive Black Hole at the centre of our Galaxy? Is it possible to see the light from the first stars to ever shine?
And is it justified to spend money on a giant telescope when there is so much poverty in the country? How can a big science project like the SKA help to de-colonise science?
Talk by
Roy Maartens
oy Maartens is a cosmologist whose research focuses on answering some of the most fundamental questions about the Universe, such as the question of Dark Energy and whether the Universe is smooth on very large scales. He is Professor within the Astrophysics group at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of the Western Cape, where he holds the SKA/SARChI chair in Cosmology.
