Compiled and photographed by Janine Erasmus
South Africa’s bid to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope, one of the most important scientific instruments ever constructed, is gaining ground. At the proposed SKA site in the remote Northern Cape province, the seven-dish KAT-7 – precursor to the MeerKAT, which is precursor to the SKA – is the world’s first radio telescope array consisting of fibreglass dishes.
The instrument has already delivered images of the Centaurus A, a galaxy 14-million light years away.
Click on a thumbnail for a low-resolution image, or right-click on the link below it to download a high-resolution copy of the image.
 The vast, flat Karoo plains are perfect for construction of the SKA. |  |
 |  Sociable weaver nest. |
 The SKA site complex from afar. |  |
 This little trailer contains instrumentation |  Mould of the KAT-7 dish. All seven dishes were |
 The remote control room is located in a |  The trailer used to take the dishes to |
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 |  On-site control room in a shielded container. |
| |  The final development of the highly |
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