Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope
China /
Guizhou /
Xiaoweizhai /
World
/ China
/ Guizhou
/ Xiaoweizhai
astronomy, radio telescope
World's largest space telescope.
China has officially embarked on the next stage towards a new era of star gazing. The construction of the largest radio telescope in the world began in 2011. Now, the panels that will make up the giant space-viewing machine are finally being assembled.
The telescope is called FAST, or the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope.
On Thursday, technicians began inserting the 4,450 triangular, reflector panels into place. This whopping reflector will dwarf all other radio telescopes when it comes to its dish size, measuring 500 meters (1,640 feet) in diameter. Each equilateral triangle panel has a side length of 11 meters (36 feet). The second largest radio telescope built, the Arecibo Observatory, is in Puerto Rico and is 305 meters (1,000 feet) across in diameter.
The telescope will be nestled comfortably in a valley in the Karst depression located in the Guizhou province. This site was chosen because It is ideally located in isolation from towns or residents; there is a 5-kilometer (3 mile) area around the dish separating it from any people and therefore, any interference. A 500-meter telescope is a sensitive instrument and needs 'radio silence' to pick up accurate signals www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201809/17/WS5b9f4903a31033b4f46...
China has officially embarked on the next stage towards a new era of star gazing. The construction of the largest radio telescope in the world began in 2011. Now, the panels that will make up the giant space-viewing machine are finally being assembled.
The telescope is called FAST, or the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope.
On Thursday, technicians began inserting the 4,450 triangular, reflector panels into place. This whopping reflector will dwarf all other radio telescopes when it comes to its dish size, measuring 500 meters (1,640 feet) in diameter. Each equilateral triangle panel has a side length of 11 meters (36 feet). The second largest radio telescope built, the Arecibo Observatory, is in Puerto Rico and is 305 meters (1,000 feet) across in diameter.
The telescope will be nestled comfortably in a valley in the Karst depression located in the Guizhou province. This site was chosen because It is ideally located in isolation from towns or residents; there is a 5-kilometer (3 mile) area around the dish separating it from any people and therefore, any interference. A 500-meter telescope is a sensitive instrument and needs 'radio silence' to pick up accurate signals www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201809/17/WS5b9f4903a31033b4f46...
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-hundred-meter_Aperture_Spherical_Telescope
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 25°39'6"N 106°51'25"E
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- Daxiaojing Bridge 12 km
- Bianyang service area 25 km
- Bianyang Reservoir 25 km
- Wangmo county 94 km
- Qiangli tunnel 104 km
- Jinfeng Gold Mine 114 km
- Beipanjiang River 2003 Bridge 117 km
- Laoxiongwan tunnel 119 km
- Lake Shima 122 km
- Anlong County 154 km
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