The sky’s the limit
Within the first day of going live, almost 3,000 people signed up as members of theSkyNet. A few weeks later, a total of 5,800 people had jumped on board this community computing initiative that will advance our understanding of the Universe.
theSkyNet is a revolutionary project that enables people all over the world to donate spare computing power to help process astronomical data captured by radio telescopes from galaxies, stars and other, faraway celestial objects.
Professor Peter Quinn, Director of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), said the project aimed to involve the public in the discovery process while raising awareness of radio astronomy and providing a real resource that astronomers can use.
“The key to theSkyNet is having lots of computers connected, with each contributing only a small amount of power, but the sum of those computers achieving a lot,” he said.
“Radio astronomy is a data intensive activity and as we design, develop and switch on the next generation of radio telescopes, the supercomputing resources processing this deluge of data will be in increasingly high demand.”
So far, theSkyNet team has been using data collected by the Parkes radio telescope in New South Wales to refine the system and demonstrate that the results produced are scientifically accurate. theSkyNet will then move on to processing larger data sets in preparation for the enormous volumes of information that will flow from telescopes like the CSIRO’s Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, once they come online.
By creating a network of thousands of computers through the Internet, theSkyNet has achieved a data processing capacity equivalent to that of a very powerful, $1.5 million super computer.
Science and Innovation Minister John Day officially launched theSkyNet in September and, together with Western Australian Chief Scientist Professor Lyn Beazley and Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi, was the first to log-on.
theSkyNet is a collaboration between ICRAR (a joint venture between Curtin University and The University of Western Australia) and UK-based eMedia Track. theSkyNet also has support from Systemic, a Perth-based IT company and the Western Australian Government through the Department of Commerce.
For more information about theSkyNet and to sign up, visit www.theSkyNet.org
Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi, Science and Innovation Minister John Day, WA Chief Scientist Professor Lyn Beazley, representatives from ICRAR and Curtin University, and Ardross Primary School students at the launch of theSkyNet.