Prof Naomi McClure-Griffiths – Revealing the Invisible Universe with the Square Kilometre Array

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be the world’s next great radio telescope. With goals extending from discovering when the first stars formed in the Universe to testing Einstein’s theory of gravity, the SKA will undoubtedly change our view of the Universe and the galaxies within it. Radio telescopes like the SKA – or in the past the iconic “Dish” – give a unique view of Universe by revealing its most basic ingredient: gas. It is from gas that stars form and to the gas that they return when they die. The gas within a galaxy acts as its atmosphere, conveying galactic “weather systems” from one place to another. Beyond the confines of each galaxy, a complex network of gaseous filaments may connect galaxies like an enormous spider web. Australia is privileged to be a co-host for the SKA, which has begun construction in Western Australia and South Africa.