[FROM THE ARCHIVES] Reaching Beyond Stars

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟲 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭. When the most powerful radio telescope in the world – known as MeerKAT – was first set up, Carte Blanche was there. Now, we reveal some of the breathtaking discoveries astronomers have made using it. But these are only a foretaste of what the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is all about. With construction having kicked off on 5 December 2022, it’s one of the biggest collective scientific endeavours in history – to build the biggest radio telescope ever. This powerful telescope made up of thousands of collecting dishes spread out over 3000 km, will allow scientists to understand how the earliest stars and galaxies formed, reveal the nature of mysterious dark matter and perhaps even detect life elsewhere in the universe. Most of the SKA will be built in the Karoo and will make the small town of Carnarvon one of the premiere destinations for all of astronomy. #CarteBlanche