What will the world’s largest telescope tell us about space?

Hear University of Sydney researchers, academics and alumni share their big ideas at Raising the Bar.

A world-leading telescope in Western Australia’s outback is set to transform our understanding of the Universe, answering some of the biggest scientific questions of our time. Are there planets habitable for humans? When did the first stars, galaxies and black holes start to form?

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope is the world’s largest low-frequency radio telescope – but not as you know it. In astronomy, radio isn’t sound, black holes aren’t holes, and pulsars don’t pulse. Astronomer Dr Laura Driessen will break down the meaning behind astronomy terms in a language we can all understand.

You'll learn more about the latest innovations in Australian astronomy, the discoveries on the horizon, and the features that make a planet a good place to live (or not).

About the speaker

Dr Laura Driessen is a radio astronomer and science communicator. Laura loves searching for elusive objects in deluges of radio telescopic data, especially data produced by Australian telescopes. Laura is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Sydney and joint Project Scientist of the Variables and Slow Transients (VAST) survey with ASKAP.

Supported by City of Sydney.