On the 27th of September, Chalmers University organized and hosted the event ‘Watching the Universe Unfold Together’. Two experts, Professor John Conway who is the Director of the Onsala Space Observatory in Gothenburg and Dr. Wendy Williams, a scientist of the international headquarters of the SKA, explained, through a series of visually stunning images, how the next generation of telescopes reveals the secrets of the space. Invited by the British Embassy in Stockholm, Utblick magazine interviewed Professor John Conway and discussed about astronomy’s advantage in explaining complex scientific ideas through images and the importance of international collaboration for scientific discoveries and progress.
- The images in this series were captured using next-generation telescopes. How does this technologically advanced equipment translate into better scientific data and new discoveries?
Some of the instruments we make require receivers which are extremely tiny, like microns, the structure of microns, so it’s weird that we actually observe the biggest things in the universe with some very small micro-technology. But, that’s where we concentrate all the radio lights and it’s eventually protected by these very sophisticated detectors.
- What were some challenges and limitations in capturing space images with such detail?
Many challenges and limitations actually. As Wendy (Williams) was saying, we built these radio telescopes, like LOFAR (Low Frequency Array), to really learn how we can make the images with this type of array telescope which was never been done before and one of the biggest problems was the ionosphere that distorts the signals and we’ve learn how to do that in the last 10 years. So, the great thing is now we can actually get the data straight away when we switch the SKA on, because we already know how to do it, because we’ve tested the methods on other telescopes.
- The project merges the technical precision of astronomy with the art of space photography. What role do visual representations of the universe play in making complex scientific ideas more accessible?
It is one of the most important parts of astronomy. A large part of astronomy is about images. This is our data, this is the data we collect. I think in that way, we have an advantage in astronomy compared to some other fields in science because it is easy to communicate our data. This is what we see and so, I think that astronomy can be a sort of an ambassador for science and explain to people how science works.
- Do you think these images can inspire more global interest in science, especially younger generations and possibly bring more public funding for future projects?
We think that this is very important and we know that when we interact with children, they get excited about it and this is why we have a big outreach effort and especially in Onsala we have a center which is for school visits and it is financed by Chalmers. So it is an essential part of what we do.
As for the public funding, of course it is very good if people are excited and makes it more likely that we can build telescopes like that and operate them and explore the universe. But it is more vital that we got this amazing results and we want to share them with the world. We are not going to keep the results to ourselves. I mean, this is an exciting outcome and we want everyone to know and be excited about what is out in the universe.
‘Astronomy can be a sort of an ambassador for science and explain to people how science works.’
– Professor John Conway, Director of Onsala Space Observatory
- How crucial are international collaborations in the success of such large-scale projects and the general progress of science and its goals?
Well, it’s really amazing! Astronomy is so international. It’s hard to really comprehend it, because usually you might work much more with people from other countries than with the person from the office next to you in the same University, because every researcher has their particular specialty in astronomy. So, you are more likely to find someone sharing the same ideas with you from a different place in the world. It is almost impossible to really talk about Swedish astronomy or UK astronomy because astronomy is so international.
- Why should we be interested in learning about space?
Well, I think it’s a cultural thing. The children are always curious about the universe and how we came to be. They are always asking questions such as ‘How was the universe created?’. Its is a great way to communicate the process of science. Some parts of astronomy are politicized but, mostly it is an area where everybody can take part in and that is the advantage of astronomy in science. We can start conversations about the universe with these images. And finally, it is the technological spin-off we get, because we are trying to detect the weakest possible signals ever produced and it’s an extreme challenge technically and that actually leads to interesting applications for the technology we develop.
