Public Astronomy Night

Going walkabout with the Murchison Widefield Array Dr Emil Lenc Mid-2016 marked the third year of science operations of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) - a radio telescope situated in the Western Australian desert. Despite its humble beginnings and relatively low build cost, it has aided astronomers to perform a wealth of scientific research to date. While specifically designed for an ambitious program to look back at the early Universe and to find evidence of the first stars, it has instead turned out to be an incredibly powerful and versatile instrument. I will highlight some of the science performed over the past three years and discuss upcoming upgrades to the MWA.