Radio astronomy Archives

Space

Listening out for alien worlds

Are we alone in the Universe? This question drives many of us to look to the stars. But rather than wait for aliens to drop by, researchers are looking for hints of life on other worlds.

Space

Birth of the first stars seen from Australia

After nearly a decade of listening with a custom-built, table-sized antenna at our Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in remote Western Australia, researchers have detected signs of the first stars to emerge in the Universe.

Space
Tech

Our top telescope tech travels FAST

We’ve designed and built a specialised ‘camera’ for the world’s largest single dish telescope. Soon it will be searching the skies for pulsars.

Space

ASKAP helps us see more of our intergalatic neighbour

Everybody likes to know their neighbours, even on a galactic scale. Our new ASKAP telescope has given us the most detailed radio image yet of our closest neighbour, the dwarf galaxy known as the Small Magellanic Cloud.

Few Australians know the unique role the country plays in the global space network

Australia is positioned perfectly to look up into the centre of the galaxy — something you can’t do from many other parts of the world. That outstanding location and our world-class capability in space science underpins a phenomenal contribution to international space programs.

Space

Interference kills the radio star finder

How do you power the world's fastest radio telescope in the remote Australian outback with renewable energy when power stations interfere with the radio signals?

Ernie Dingo visits our outback astronomy observatory – in his beloved backyard

Wajarri Yamatji Elder and Australian TV personality Ernie Dingo stopped by to check out our Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope.

‘Hairy stars’ may be roaming our galaxy

Looking at the radio emissions from distant quasars, which appear to twinkle, researchers from Many Astrophyics have found what they think might be the answer: hairy stars.

Space

First look inside NASA’s new command centre

An exclusive look at NASA’s brand new command centre near Canberra built to facilitate communications between Earth and the first people to walk on Mars.

Space

One woman’s role in designing the world’s largest radio telescope

The Square Kilometre Array, or SKA, is a next-generation radio telescope that will be vastly more sensitive than the best present-day instruments. It will give astronomers remarkable insights into the formation of the early Universe, including the emergence of the first stars, galaxies and other structures. We caught up with research engineer Mia Baquiran to find out more about this amazing new instrument and her role in getting it off the ground and into the skies.

Space
Tech

The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder finally hits the big-data highway

After months of running in test-mode, the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope is now gathering data at an incredible rate to give us a new look at how our universe works.

Space

The Dish joins global search for new signs of life

Breakthrough Listen — the largest search for extraterrestrial life — has launched today at our Parkes radio telescope, turning its mighty eye on the 'exo-Earth' Proxima b.

Radio astronomy