Cape Town - Astronomer Professor Philip Diamond doesn’t quite sport an aptronym – a name that matches one’s occupation – but he does come close through the popular nursery rhyme.
“Twinkle twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a...” – we all know the rest.
Now, the Australian scientist will be at the head of a collective of some of the world’s top astronomical minds as they ponder a lot more than just the properties of individual “little stars”.
He has just been appointed as director-general of the SKA Organisation, the international co-ordinating body for the e1.5-billion (R15.8bn) SKA project that will be the largest and most sensitive radio telescope built – at least 70 percent of it in SA and its eight African partner countries.
The SKA will allow astronomers to glimpse the formation and evolution of the very first stars and galaxies soon after the Big Bang at the start of the Universe, and investigate physical phenomena, such as the nature of gravity and – possibly – even other life sources beyond Earth.
The organisation’s board confirmed Diamond’s appointment this week.
SKA said Diamond would lead the pre-construction phase of the project, “with the goal of realising construction readiness at the end of 2015 and preparing for the construction phase to follow”.
SKA-SA director Dr Bernie Fanaroff welcomed the appointment. He said they were looking forward to working with Diamond “to ensure SKA is built quickly and efficiently”.
“He has a long history in radio astronomy and we believe he will manage the project well.”
Diamond said the SKA telescope was now moving from the technology concept to the final detailed design.
“I’m humbled to have the opportunity to lead the SKA Organisation during this exciting time and to work with colleagues around the world to realise the science vision of the SKA.”
Diamond, who has 30 years’ experience in the field of radio astronomy, has worked as a professional astronomer in the UK, Sweden, Germany, the US and Australia.
He has been director at two leading radio astronomy organisations – Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics in the UK and the CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (Cass) in Australia, which he still heads.
He has a long-standing involvement in the SKA project, and was responsible for the team designing and constructing ASKAP, the Australian SKA Pathfinder radio telescope being built now.
It is the equivalent of SA’s MeerKAT pathfinder project.
- Cape Argus