Chinese Telescope Starts Testing

The world’s largest telescope has received its first signals from space.

14:10 26 September 2016

China’s radio telescope, which is the largest of its kind in the world, is beginning an intensive testing phase. Chinese scientists reported that it has received its first signal from space.

 

The giant dish, which measures 500m across, will require three years of calibration before it becomes fully operational.

 

Prof Peng Bo, deputy project manager of the Five Hundred Metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (Fast), said: "This is very exciting.  For many years, we have had to go outside of China to make observations - and now we have the largest telescope. People can't wait to use it."

 

The radio telescope is part of China’s drive to become a science powerhouse. It was opened at a ceremony on Sunday and is located in Guizhou Province in the southwest part of the country. It is made up of thousands of adjustable triangular panels that can be re-angled. The project, which is considered the most ambitious project of the National Astronomical Observatories of China, took five years to built with a $180million budget.

 

The former largest radio telescope is the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico with a diameter of 305m.