Deep Synoptic Array to Transform Radio Astronomy

The Nevada desert will soon host the world’s most sensitive radio telescope array, the Deep Synoptic Array. This initiative is led by the California Institute of Technology, which recently confirmed enough funding to proceed with the construction.

The Deep Synoptic Array will include 1,650 individual radio dishes. Its purpose is to study phenomena like supermassive black holes, pulsars, and fast radio bursts — intense radio wave explosions often originating from deep space. “It’s the sheer number of antennas that makes this completely unique,” said Gregg Hallinan, a professor of astronomy at Caltech and a principal investigator for the project.

Radio telescopes capture radio waves from stars, planets, galaxies, and other celestial objects to understand their structure, composition, and temperature. Unlike optical observatories, radio telescopes convert radio signals into data, enabling image creation. Hallinan noted that the Deep Synoptic Array would survey the sky 100 times faster than previous ground-based radio telescopes, producing the highest quality radio images.

“Every telescope built over the last century has detected approximately 20 million radio sources in the universe. This telescope will match that number in its first 24 hours,” Hallinan stated.

Each dish in the array will measure about 20 feet across, forming one of the world’s largest radio telescope arrays, spanning over 123 square miles in Nevada’s White Pine County.

The project is currently in the permitting phase, with construction anticipated to begin next year. Completion is planned for 2029. Typically, radio astronomy involves either a large single dish, like West Virginia’s Green Bank Telescope, or an array of smaller dishes, such as New Mexico’s Very Large Array. Hallinan mentioned that the Deep Synoptic Array could achieve both sensitivity and image sharpness.

The array aims to detect radio emissions from millions of cosmic objects. “Radio astronomy is transitioning from sketches to photographs,” said Vikram Ravi, a co-principal investigator for the project. The DSA will explore a far larger volume of the universe more frequently.

Researchers aim to conduct at least five sky surveys to identify radio emissions, which other observatories can then further investigate. Hallinan explained, “We’ll precisely pinpoint the radio source location, allowing other telescopes to focus on it.”

Funding came from Schmidt Sciences, a philanthropic organization founded in 2024 by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy. Schmidt also leads Relativity Space, which recently secured a NASA contract for a Mars mission in 2028.

Initially, two prototype dishes were built in Bishop, California, as a technology test. Hallinan and his team scoured locations across the western United States to find an optimal site, settling on the Great Basin in Nevada. This area offers natural protection against radio frequency interference, being remote and low in population.

“This telescope is sensitive enough to detect a cellphone as far away as the sun,” Hallinan highlighted, emphasizing the need to avoid interference.

White Pine County, with its quiet valleys, emerged as the ideal location for this groundbreaking project.