The Murchison Widefield Array is a radio telescope, made of 4,096 spider-like antennas tuned to receive signals from the sky between 70 and 300MHz. Since its launch in 2013, the MWA has collected tens of petabytes of data which are sent over dedicated fibre and the National Broadband Network to the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre in Perth. From there, the data are accessed and analysed by hundreds of researchers from around the world using the All-Sky Virtual Observatory.
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The MWA is special for its very wide field of view, high angular resolution, nanosecond time resolution, and digital pointing agility. This makes the instrument invaluable for quickly mapping the sky and studying rare and faint events as they happen. Explore some of our key science drivers here.
Searching for and studying Cosmic Dawn, when the first stars, galaxies and quasars began forming 13 billion years ago.
Studies of phenomena in our own Milky Way galaxy, and in distant galaxies.
High-sensitivity surveys of the dynamic radio sky, searching for short-timescale and highly variable phenomena.
Investigating our Sun and its effect on near-Earth space weather, with applications such as improving early warnings of solar storms.
Studying flashes of radio light in more detail than ever before.
The MWA is located at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory. The observatory is 300 kilometres inland from the coastal town of Geraldton, Western Australia, on Wajarri country. The MWA’s unprecedented capabilities underpin its critical role as the first fully operational precursor instrument of the A$1 billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project. Soon to be constructed on the same site, the SKA will be the world’s largest radio telescope, designed to solve the deepest mysteries of the Universe.
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The MWA is an international Collaboration, comprised of 259 astronomers and 28 partner institutions from Australia, Japan, China, Canada, the United States and Switzerland.
MWA astronomers are leading the way at low frequencies – read up on the latest news.
We’re pleased to announce the 2026 MWA Project Meeting will be held at Brown University in Rhode Island, USA. We invite you to join us from the 27th-30th July 2026 as we celebrate the theme Phase III and toward the EoR. Online attendance is encouraged. To find out more, visit the event website. Registrations are OPEN for […]
Read MoreThe 2026A Call for Proposals is now open for the Guaranteed Time and Open Access categories for the period commencing 4 May to 31 December 2026. Available Array Configurations and Re-Configurations In 2026A, proposers will be able to nominate a preferred array configuration from an initial set of options. The configurations offered have been formulated to optimise different performance figures of merit and to address […]
Read MoreSee our galaxy like never before. This stunning image of the Milky Way was captured using some of the longest wavelengths of radio light from the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Western Australia. The image was created from combining the data of two major surveys of the sky — GLEAM (2013–2015) and GLEAM-X (2018–2020). Curtin […]
Read MoreAuthor: ICRAR Astronomers from the International Centre of Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) have created the largest low-frequency radio colour image of the Milky Way ever assembled. This spectacular new image captures the Southern Hemisphere view of our Milky Way galaxy, revealing it across a wide range of radio wavelengths, or ‘colours’ of radio light. It […]
Read MoreLucien Wilkinson – Curtin University Western Australia’s Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) has entered its next chapter, with the completion of an upgrade set to expand our view of the Universe and solidify WA’s role as a global hub for radio astronomy. Operating since 2013, the MWA is a powerful telescope comprising 8,192 antennas spread across […]
Read MoreWe’re pleased to announce the 2025 MWA Project Meeting will be held in the stunning city of Perth, Australia. We invite you to join us from the 27th-29th August, 205 at the ARRC Building, Kensington, followed by a special Sundowner event to celebrate the official launch of MWA Phase 3. To find out more, visit […]
Read MoreThe 2025A Call for Proposals is now open for the Guaranteed Time and Open Access categories for the period commencing in June 2025, to the end of March 2026. Due to soon to-be-scheduled site-wide maintenance being conducted by CSIRO in late May or early June, the exact commencement date for the semester will be advised in […]
Read MoreWe would like to congratulate Associate Professor Natasha Hurley-Walker, from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), for being awarded the prestigious 2025 Nancy Millis Medal for Women in Science by the Australian Academy of Science. Associate Professor Hurley-Walker’s research utilises powerful supercomputers to analyse petabytes of data from […]
Read MoreResearchers from Curtin University, led by Associate Professor Natasha Hurley-Walker, may have uncovered how long-period radio transients were formed. The team discovered that M dwarfs (low-mass stars) in binary systems with another object, likely a white dwarf, produce powerful radio emissions as they interact with one another. The radio signal was detected in data from […]
Read MoreThis year’s MWA project meeting was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, from August 28th to 30th, hosted by the Swiss consortium through SCITAS-EPFL. The event brought together researchers, engineers, and experts from around the world, united in advancing radio astronomy and the MWA’s scientific objectives. The three-day meeting featured a range of presentations, discussions, and collaborative […]
Read MoreOverview The Call for Proposals for MWA observing semester 2024B is now open. This is for the allocation of observing time in the Guaranteed Time and Open Access categories, nominally during the period October 28, 2024 to End-March 2025 (subject to availability of the array). The telescope will be in the extended configuration for the […]
Read MoreCurtin astronomy leader honoured at Western Australian of the Year Awards
Read MoreWe would like to congratulate our very own Professor Steven Tingay for winning the APM Professions Award category of the Western Australian of the Year Awards last night! The prestigious award-giving body recognises Steven’s outstanding contribution to the state, and his crucial role in securing half of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project for Western […]
Read MoreThis year, we’re thrilled to announce that our meeting will be hosted in Switzerland, marking the latest addition to the MWA Collaboration’s international network of collaborators. Radio astronomers are invited to join us from Wednesday, August 28th, to Friday, August 30th, 2024, at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in the picturesque city of […]
Read MoreCSIRO’s incoming CEO, Prof. Doug Hilton, together with the Shadow Minister for Science, Hon. Paul Fletcher, embarked on a notable tour of the MWA as an integral part of their visit to the Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara Murchison Radio Astronomy Observatory. The said visit not only marked a collaborative effort to foster a deeper appreciation for […]
Read More2023 September 27 – The MWA Collaboration has been selected as a finalist for the 2023 Engagement Australia Excellence Awards, in the category ‘Excellence in International Engagement’!
Read More21 September 2023- MWA and Yamaji Art collaborate to create hand-painted 3D beam patterns.
Read MoreThe Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) project is celebrating a decade of operations this week. To mark the significant occasion, the global astronomy community has gathered in Perth for the milestone. 2023 July 26, Curtin University
Read MoreOverview The Call for Proposals for MWA observing semester 2023B is now open. This is for the allocation of observing time in the Guaranteed Time and Open Access categories, nominally during the period September 29, 2023 to February 29, 2024 (subject to availability of the array). The telescope will be in the compact configuration for the duration […]
Read More“They missed it because they hadn’t expected to find anything like it.” 2023 July 19, Nature
Read MoreThe technical description paper, “MWAX: A new correlator for the Murchison Widefield Array” by Morrison et al. has now been published in PASA. 2023 April 27
Read MoreFinding the astronomical equivalent of a needle in a haystack, the ‘SMART’ way! A team led by ICRAR-Curtin researchers have published details in PASA of how they are using the MWA telescope to find new pulsars in our galaxy. 2023 April 27, Space Australia
Read MoreOverview The MWA Semester 2023A Call for Proposals (CFP-2023-A) is now open, for observations during the period April 1, 2023 to August 15, 2023 (subject to availability of the array). 2023A Details This Call is for the allocation of telescope observing time in the Guaranteed Time and Open Access categories. The array will be in […]
Read MoreThirty years after the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope was proposed and a decade after WA was chosen to host the project, work is starting on the final stage of one of humanity’s greatest ever scientific endeavours. 2022 December 5, The West Australian
Read MoreIn 2022, Ernst and Young (EY) delivered an assessment of the Economic and Social Impact of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). The report examines the strategic, financial, and scientific dimensions of the MWA, and finds that the MWA has had a significant impact.
Read MoreMWA researcher Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker and MWA operations team member Mia Walker won Shining Star awards at the annual Women in Technology WA Awards, 2022 November 18.
Read MoreWhat does the Moon have to do with our quest to understand the beginnings of our Universe? 2022 November 18, Sky at Night Magazine
Read MoreThis two-day science event will be held online on December 07-08, 2022. Click through for the event page and to register.
Read MoreStudents from Pia Wadjarri visited Curtin to learn more about the MWA telescope.
Read MorePulsars create repeating flashes of radio light, and are so regular that you can set your watch to them. In fact, that’s exactly what some astronomers want to do! 2022 June 28, ICRAR
Read MorePhD candidate Kathryn Ross has co-won the 2022 WA science student of the year award! Ross’s research using the MWA telescope has helped shed light on our understanding of galaxy evolution. 2022 August 30, ICRAR
Read MoreA $1 million Australian Government grant has recently enabled the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) to undergo ‘brain surgery’. 2022 March 23, AAL
Read MoreA team mapping radio waves in the Universe has discovered something unusual that releases a giant burst of energy three times an hour. 2022 January 27, Nature
Read More2021 December 23, Nature Astronomy
Read MoreThe early Universe was dark, filled with a hot soup of opaque particles. These condensed to form neutral hydrogen which coalesced to form the first stars in what astronomers call the Epoch of Reionisation (EoR).
2021 November 29, ASTRO3D
2021 September 3, Curtin Media Release
Read MoreObservations suggest small flares are corona’s mystery heat source. 2021 May 7, Science
Read More2021 April 21, ICRAR, Particle, Springer, Science Daily, The West Australian
Read More2021 March 18, ICRAR, IFL Science, Medium, Science News, Popular Mechanics
Read MoreA new $1 million Federal Government grant to Curtin University will enable a major upgrade to the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). 2020 December 10, Curtin Media Release
Read MoreProfessor Steven Tingay (Curtin) was jointly named WA’s Scientist of the Year 2020, for his impactful research and early leadership of the MWA project. 2020 September 30, WA Government
Read More2020 September 8, ICRAR, ABC News, The West Australian
Read More2020 August 30, HPC Wire
Read More2020 July 29, Defence Connect
Read More2020 July 8, Australian Academy of Science
Read MoreScientists in Pune discover long-sought tiny explosions on the Sun. 2020 June 4, The Hindu, WIO News, Astronomy.com
Read MoreThe blast is about five times bigger than the previous record holder. 2020 March 4, Nature World News,
Read More2020 February 27, HPC Wire
Read More2020 January 16, Mirage News
Read MoreUsing the GLEAM surveym Dr Hurley-Walker and her colleagues discovered the remnants of 27 massive stars that exploded in supernovae at the end of their lives. 2019 November 20, ICRAR and ABC news
Read MoreResearchers using the Murchison Widefield Array radio telescope have taken a new and significant step toward detecting a signal from the period in cosmic history when the first stars lit up the universe. 2019 November 26, Brown University
Read MoreExtreme heat, ants, and stray cell phones are big concerns. 2019 November 13, Atlas Obscura
Read MoreAstronomers are closing in on a signal that has been travelling across the Universe for 12 billion years, bringing them nearer to understanding the life and death of the very earliest stars. 2019 September 10, The Age, ASTRO3D, VICE, Phys.org,
Read More2019 March 28, Business News Western Australia
Read More2019 January 15, Curtin University Media Release
Read More2018 October 30, ICRAR
Read More2018 July, Australian Access Federation
Read More2018 May 23, The Age
Read More2018 April 23, Curtin University Media Release
Read More2017 November 28, IEEE Spectrum
Read More2017 November 14, Curtin University Media Release
Read More2017 October 17, Curtin University Media Release, ABC News
Read MoreTwo Australian radio telescopes have a humble goal: uncovering the universe’s secrets. 2017 August 1, CNet
Read MoreWhat sounds like a stomach-turning ride at an amusement park might hold the key to unravelling the mysterious mechanism that causes beams of radio waves to shoot out from pulsars − super-magnetic rotating stars in our Galaxy. 2017 March 21, Curtin University Media Release
Read More2017 February 27, Cosmos
Read More2017 February 24, Financial Review
Read MoreThe recently launched Cisco Internet of Everything Innovation Centre at Curtin University is already generating dividends, with a successful trial last week of a 100Gb/s data link between the MWA and Curtin. 2016 March 16, Curtin
Read MoreFor the first time an international team of scientists, using a combination of radio and optical telescopes including the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), has managed to identify the precise location of a fast radio burst (FRB). 2016 February 25, Curtin University Media Release
Read More2015 October 30, Curtin University Media Release
Read MoreCurtin University’s work with the Murchison Widefield Array was recognised at the Thomson Reuters Citation and Innovation awards. 2015 June 14, PerthNow
Read More2015 June, CAASTRO, Physics Today, The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH)
Read More2014 November 25, Phys.org
Read More2014 November 24, Press Release (Arizona State University)
Read MoreAstronomers are attempting to look back to when the first stars and galaxies lit up and changed the universe forever. 2014 November 7, Science
Read MoreAstronomy project unites indigenous artists from WA and South Africa. 2014 October 3, Yahoo News
Read MoreA combination of pop songs, talkback radio and cutting-edge science has enabled Australian astronomers to identify a way to prevent catastrophic, multi-billion dollar space junk collisions, a new study has revealed. November 29, 2013, CAASTRO, Science Daily and CNet, December 02 by Voice of America
Read More2013 November 25, Scoop Education
Read More2013 November 15, Press Release (Curtin)
Read More2013 July 23, Press Release (ICRAR)
Read MoreIn the remote outback of Western Australia, astronomers are tuning in on the universe in the hope of unravelling the secrets of the cosmic dark ages. 2013 February, Qantas In The Air
Read More2020 June 10, Curtin Press Release
Read More2013 January, Case Study (Curtin University)
Read More2012 December 17, Australian Physics (Volume 49, Number 6, Nov-Dec 2012)
Read MoreDemonstrating the Role of Commercial-Off-the-Shelf Technology in Radio Astronomy. 2012, December 3, Press Release (CISCO)
Read More2012 November 30, Press Release, Ministerial Media Statements, Government of Western Australia
Read More2012 November 30, Science Daily
Read More2012 November 30, Press Release (Curtin University)
Read More2012 November 23, Daily News Analysis
Read More2012 October 25, Royal Society of New Zealand
Read MoreA little-known fact is that Australia, a land blessed with low light pollution, has more than its fair share of great observatories. 2012 November 23, Australian Geographic
Read MoreIBM computing cluster to help Australia’s Murchison Widefield Array process massive amounts of data captured from epoch when galaxies first formed. 2012 July 24, Cision
Read MoreWA telescope to look back to big bang. 2011 December 11, PerthNow
Read MoreThe agency will kick off construction of the centre in 2012. 2011 November 21, Computerworld Australia
Read More2011 October 31, ICRAR Press Release
Read MoreBoolardy station near Mullewa in Western Australia has been chosen as a candidate for the $2 billion Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project. 2011 May 15, ABC Landline
Read More2011 April 12, IBM Press Release
Read MoreIt’s not just particle physicists. Astronomers like their big, expensive toys as well. 2011 April 5, The Economist
Read MoreSKA links being built in remote regions of Western Australia. 2010 May 24, Computerworld Australia
Read MoreAARNet, NextGen Networks will build fibre links between Perth and remote WA. 2010 April 27, Computerworld Australia
Read More2009 September 25, Science
Read More2008 October 29, Nature
Read More2007 July 16, Boston Globe
Read More2007 January 9, NY Times
Read More2005 March 14, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
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