How does SKA1 compare with the world’s biggest radio telescopes?

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C red it: NA OC ARRAYS SINGLE DISHES At 110 MHz Pho to: H . Sc R hw F eik I er -T /W A I R oastronomi YN C adi e d N e r e N a : d a nd to n n o io ca N h t y O P ta A S O : / o A t U o R LOW MID h HIGH A P NON-STEERABLE / N S FREQUENCIES FREQUENCIES F FREQUENCIES

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be the world's largest radio A telescope's capacity to receive faint signals - called sensitivity - depends on its The collecting area is just one aspect of a telescope’s capability though. Arrays telescope, revolutionising our understanding of the Universe. The SKA will be collecting area, the bigger the better. But just like you can't compare radio like the SKA have an advantage over single dish telescopes: by being spread built in two phases - SKA1 and SKA2 - starting in 2018, with SKA1 telescopes and optical telescopes, comparison only works between telescopes over long distances, they simulate a virtual dish the size of that distance and so representing a fraction of the full SKA. SKA1 will include two instruments - working in similar frequencies, hence the different categories above. can see smaller details in the sky, this is called resolution. SKA1 MID and SKA1 LOW - observing the Universe at different frequencies.