THERE is a haunting beauty to the Karoo, a vast swathe of semi-desert that seems empty save for the stars overhead and sheep grazing below. Economic opportunities here are few. Scrubby, sprawling farms support sheep, ostrich, springbok and little else. (To be fair, Karoo lamb is delicious.)
But the Karoo’s clear skies also draw some of the world’s best scientists. A radio telescope project called the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is under construction, with the latest cluster of 64 giant antennae due to be completed late next year. South Africa won the right to host half of the $2bn international project in 2012. When finished it will be the biggest radio telescope in the world and should allow scientists to peer into the origins of the universe.
Still, some sheep farmers are grumbling. Because of the sensitivity of the telescope, the surrounding area must be kept free from radio interference caused by everything from mobile phones to microwave ovens and some car engines. The SKA is buying up more farms than originally expected to ensure radio silence over an area of some 130,000...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/2hV6Icp
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