Overview

The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a radically new type of radio telescope, with no moving parts, and dependent on prodigious computer power to create exquisite real-time wide-field images of the radio sky. Observing at frequencies from 80 to 300 MHz and located in the radio-quiet Western Australia Outback, the MWA will observe with unprecedented sensitivity to discover low-frequency radio phenomena that have never been seen before.

The MWA is an international project led by MIT Haystack Observatory, with strong collaboration from a large array of other institutions from the U.S., Australia, and India. First results from a subset of planned array elements are now in hand, with construction of the full array planned for mid-2010.