Allen Telescope Array
The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) —formerly known as the One Hectare Telescope (1hT)— is a joint effort by the SETI Institute and the University of California, Berkeley dedicated to the construction of an observatory that will be exclusively used for the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. It will be constructed at the Hat Creek Observatory, 290 miles northeast of San Francisco, California and will consist of 350 small dishes forming an antenna array.
Background
The idea has been a dream of the Institute for years. However, it was not until early 2001 that research and development commenced after a donation of $11.5 million USD by the Allen Foundation. In March 2004, the SETI Institute unveiled a three tier construction plan for the telescope, following a successful completion of a three-year research and development phase. Construction began right after, thanks in part to the generous donation of $13.5 million USD by Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft) to support the construction of the first and second phases. The SETI Institute named the telescope in his honor.
Overview
The telescope will eventually consist of 350 dishes of 6.1 meter in diameter when construction is completed late in the next decade. The site of the construction is operated by the Radio Astronomy Lab and is in an area that is considered to be quiet in terms of radio signals, thereby reducing the level of interfering signals from man-made sources. The first phase —codenamed ATA-32 and consisting of the first 32 dishes— is scheduled to begin conducting scientific investigations by the end of 2004, significantly earlier than the 350-element array can be completed.
After its completion, ATA is expected to be among the world’s largest and fastest observing instruments. It will also permit astronomers to search for many different target stars simultaneously.
External links
References
- The Search Continues with the Allen Telescope Array. Mountain View, CA: SETI Institute. March 25, 2004.