Australian students star-struck at observatory site

BY THE WAJARRI YAMAJI ABORIGINAL CORPORATION AND CSIRO

Students from two communities near Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, home of the SKA-Low telescope, visited the site on Wajarri Country late last year to experience all the developments happening as SKA-Low construction accelerates.

Eighteen students visited from Pia Wadjarri Remote Community School and Yalgoo Primary School. In outback Australian distances, Pia Wadjarri is right next door at only 45 minutes’ drive away whilst Yalgoo is the next suburb over at two hours away.

The full-day event included a VIP behind-the-scenes tour of the observatory, visiting the on-site SKA precursors – the Curtin University-led Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), and CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope – as well as key SKA-Low construction areas.

A particular highlight was the visit to the SKA-Low prototype station, AAVS3, which is within the MWA site area. Led by Curtin University’s MWA Site Lead, students learnt more about the way that the SKA-Low telescope will observe the sky, as well as how celestial objects emit radio waves. It was highly interactive, with students acting as protons, electrons and neutrons which then come together into hydrogen atoms. It was obvious to all that the students were having a great time being subatomic particles!

The students also experienced a real-time feed of an MWA observation and got to go inside the base of one of ASKAP’s antennas.

The Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal Corporation and CSIRO collaborated to host the students on site – we’re already looking forward to carrying on the engagement with our Wajarri student neighbours in their next visit where they’ll be able to see even more of SKA-Low complete!

We acknowledge the Wajarri Yamaji as Traditional Owners and native title holders of Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory site.