CSIRO and ICRAR build thousands of antennas at the Perth AstroFest
30 March 2015
Australia’s largest annual astronomy festival returned to Perth this year, with CSIRO and ICRAR teaming up to build (small LEGO replica) antennas in the Curtin Stadium on Saturday 28 March 2015.
Several CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science staff from the CASS offices in Perth, Geraldton and Sydney, turned out in support of ICRAR’s AstroFest in Perth on Saturday. Activities this year included optical telescope observing, guest speakers, exhibitor stalls and hands-on activities.
The combined ICRAR and CSIRO exhibition booth also included a special stand for SKA Australia, where AstroFest attendees were able to build small LEGO antennnas and set them up at the virtual Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO), home to CSIRO’s ASKAP telescope, the international Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) telescope, and located in the same area where core infrastructure for the future Square Kilometre Array telescope will be built in Australia.
"The ICRAR/CSIRO booth was extremely busy all night," said Phil Crosby, CASS Assistant Director (Western Australia), "The booth was even visited by Star Wars characters and assorted aliens who were not averse to the peculiar Earth taste of hotdogs and beer, but were particularly interested in helping to build the mini ASKAP antennas."
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