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| Overview Searching for signs of life in the galaxy, identifying supernova outbursts, and finding evidence to support or refute modern physical theories are among the new astronomical observatory of x-rays’ objectives. The Square Kilometer Array Observatory’s (SKAO) construction has begun in its Australian and South African sites. The science and other stuff to know “It’s been a 30-year journey. The first 10 years were spent developing concepts and ideas. The second 10 were spent developing technology. And then the last Decade was spent on detailed design, securing the sites, getting governments to agree to set up a treaty organization,...

Are you ready for one of “the great scientific adventures of the coming decades”? Construction of the largest and most complex radio telescope network in the world officially began today in what is being described as a “historic moment for radio astronomy.” Designed to help astronomers answer some of astronomy’s most fundamental questions, the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) was today given the go-ahead at its first council meeting at its headquarters at Jodrell Bank, Cheshire in the UK. Jodrell Bank is home to the Lovell Telescope, the world’s third-largest steerable radio telescope. SKA is going to cost $2.2 billion—and...