Square Kilometer Array - Astronomers may see evidence of aliens

Galileo would be impressed. The Square Kilometer Array (SKA), a land-based super-telescope is coming closer to reality as astronomers make their final decision on where to situate it. The SKA will be the world's largest, most powerful telescope - ever. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Galileo Galilei changed astronomy forever when he turned his version of the telescope to the heavens and became the first person to observe the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and perform the first scientific study of sunspots. 

Galileo's version of the telescope opened the heavens to a new age of exploration with specialized tools. And if astronomers have their way, by 2024, their latest version of the telescope will be at work adding to the tremendous volume of information we currently have about the universe.

Ironically, Galileo would not recognize this latest version of his telescope. Unlike his, which was a combination of lenses arranged in a tube, the SKA will actually be an array of very large dishes and sensors that will be scattered across either Australia or Africa. The array will have a physical surface area of one kilometer, hence it is being referred to as the "Square Kilometer Array."

However, the secret power of the array comes from the spacing between the dishes, which will span some 3,000 kilometers.

The SKA will be comprised of 3,000 dishes, each 15 meters across that will scan the heavens simultaneously, in perfect synchronization allowing unparalleled views of the universe. 

The telescope, although it has no glass lenses, will be capable of detecting radiation across the electro-magnetic spectrum. The light we see is only part of that spectrum. The ultra-powerful sensors will detect radiation from frequencies between 70 MHz and 30 GHz. 

The power of a telescope comes in part from its width. The wider a telescope is, the more radiation it can gather and therefore the more power it has to amplify and observe that radiation. By working hundreds of dishes in concert spread across a continent and aggregating the data with powerful computers, astronomers can create a telescope that has the gathering power of a single scope the size of that continent. 

And since nearly all objects in space emit or reflect radiation, a very wide telescope can detect them. 

Astronomers predict the SKA will be so powerful that it will be able to peer, and see with clarity, what is happening in the very cores of distant galaxies. 

Such an array will be able to detect some of the earliest radiation from the very formation of the universe and may even be sensitive enough to detect evidence of extra terrestrial life. 

Alien life could be detected by a number of means. For example, radio transmissions could be detected, if aliens were transmitting on such frequencies. Planet Earth has been transmitting radio waves into space since the beginning of radio communication over a century ago. Nearby alien civilizations, if they exist, could be doing the same.

Once the site is selected, Australia or Africa, the SKA will being construction in 2016. The final cost is expected to be around $2 billion dollars. In exchange, we expect to learn more about the universe than ever before and to finally begin unraveling many of the mysteries that challenge scientists today. 

Galileo would be proud.

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