World's largest radio telescope in Guizhou, China

[JSCh]

China Assembles World's Largest Telescope in Guizhou---Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jul 24, 2015

Photo taken on July 16 2014 shows the construction site of the world's largest radio telescope deep in the mountains of southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo/Xinhua) ​

Technicians have begun assembling the world's largest radio telescope, with a dish the size of 30 football grounds, deep in the mountains of southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Yesterday afternoon, they began to assemble the telescope's reflector, which is 500 meters in diameter and made up of 4,450 panels. Each panel is an equilateral triangle with sides 11 meters long.

Once complete, the single-aperture spherical telescope called FAST will be the world's largest, exceeding the one at Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, which is 300 meters in diameter.

Nan Rendong, chief scientist of the FAST project with the National Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, told reporters the bigger dish will be able to pick up weaker signals.

"A radio telescope is like a sensitive ear, listening to tell meaningful radio messages from white noise in the universe. It is like identifying the sound of cicadas in a thunderstorm," he said.

The giant dish is being built on a naturally formed bowl-like valley. "There are three hills about 500 meters away from one another, creating a valley that is perfect to support the telescope," said Sun Caihong, FAST's chief engineer.

The karst formation in the local landscape is good for draining rainwater underground and protecting the reflector, Sun said.

The surrounding area has "radio silence" as there are no towns and cities within a 5-kilometer radius and only one county center within 25 kilometers.

The huge dish is hung over the ground supported by thousands of steel pillars and cables.

A hill-top observation platform is under construction and will be open to the public, Sun said.

Wu Xiangping, director-general of the Chinese Astronomical Society, said that for years scientists had to work with "second hand" data collected by others.

"Having a more sensitive telescope, we can receive weaker and more distant radio messages. It will help us to search for intelligent life outside of the galaxy and explore the origins of the universe," Wu said. (Xinhua)

 

[TaiShang]

Key parts added to massive radio telescope
By Zhao Xinying and Yang Jun in Pingtang, Guizhou

A worker examines links on the aperture spherical radio telescope in Guizhou province. (Xu Qifei / Guiyang Evening News)

The installation of reflectors on the world's largest radio telescope has begun, marking the start of a final key stage of the telescope's construction.

Located in a natural valley of Southwest China's Guizhou province, the 500-meter aperture spherical radio telescope, known as the FAST Project, had its first reflecting unit installed in early August.

Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group, a company in Hubei province responsible for installing the reflectors, said the reflector surface, with a diameter of 500 meters, consists of 4,450 reflecting units. About 20 units can be installed a day, and the installation is due to be completed by March next year.

FAST is a key national project and received funding of 1.2 billion yuan ($190 million) when construction began in 2011.

Zhang Haiyan, deputy director of the FAST Project's general office, said the telescope will take the place of the 305-meter-diameter Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico as the largest of its kind in the world.

The sensitivity of the telescope will be more than 10 times stronger than that of a 100-meter telescope near Bonn, Germany, Zhang said. Scientists believe more discoveries and breakthroughs are expected after construction is completed in September 2016.

Site selection

Construction of the telescope was first proposed by astronomers from 10 countries, including China, in 1993. A year later, astronomers made several site-selection trips to southwest China, analyzing 400 natural basins.

One in Pingtang county, Guizhou province, was finally chosen for its almost-perfect spherical landform, which saved much effort in digging a hollow for the telescope, said Li Di, a scientist at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Zhu Boqin, an engineer who took part in the site survey more than 20 years ago, said the valley in Guizhou was also chosen for its karst formation of soluble rocks that ensures good drainage. This meant that rainwater would not gather to damage the reflecting surface of the telescope.

Additionally, radio interference from the surrounding area is low, since there is only one town within a radius of 25 kilometers, Zhu said.

In 2007, funding for the project was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission. Two years later, the 65 residents of the valley, from 12 families, were moved to a town nearby.

On March 25, 2011, construction of the project officially kicked off, with a planned completion date in 2016.

An overview of the 500-meter aperture spherical radio telescope. Still being built, it will be the world's largest radio telescope after it is completed in September 2016. (Zeng Jun / China Daily)

Leading position

Li, the scientist, said the telescope, once completed, will hold a leading position for two or three decades worldwide and will be an open scientific research platform. "We welcome scientists from around the world to come," he said.

Future research through the telescope will be conducted on pulsars, galaxies, dark matter and cosmology, according to the National Astronomical Observatories.

Nan Rendong, chief scientist of the FAST Project and a researcher with the observatories, said FAST will have an extraordinary impact on astronomy.

"It will certainly revolutionize other areas of the natural sciences," he said.

FAST will enable astronomers to jump-start many science goals, such as the survey of natural hydrogen in distant galaxies, the detection of faint pulsars or listening for possible signals from other civilizations, Nan added.

"Chinese scientists have made numerous contributions in mathematics, computer sciences and particle physics in past years under impoverished conditions. Now, with the most advanced facility supported by the government, a giant step forward should be made," Li said.

Zeng Jun in Guiyang and Xinhua contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at yangjun@chinadaily.com.cn

 

[Martian2]

China's FAST radio telescope has a 500 meter diameter (or 250 meter radius).

The current record holder Arecibo has a 305 meter diameter (or 153 meter radius).

Area = π*r^2

China's FAST = π * (250 meter) ^ 2 = 196,250 meter squared detector

Arecibo = π * (153 meter) ^ 2 = 73,504 meter squared detector

Sensitivity of China's FAST radio telescope = 196,250 / 73,504 = 2.67 times more sensitive than Arecibo

 

[beijingwalker]

Drone footage shows the radio telescope under construction in China | Daily Mail Online
Incredible drone footage shows the immense scale of the £124 million radio telescope under construction in China - which is the size of THIRTY football pitches

• New video released by Chinese state media shows project is on track of completion in the second half of 2016
• It's billed as the world's largest radio telescope and is located in the deepest mountains of rural southwest China
• Technicians are currently assembling the telescope's reflector, which is made up of 4,450 triangle-shaped panels
• The telescope is expected to pick up weaker radio signals from outer space, even further than our solar system

By OLIVIA CHAN and TRACY YOU FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 15:33 GMT, 6 October 2015 | UPDATED: 16:29 GMT, 6 October 2015

new drone video has been released by China Central Television Station showing the latest progress of one of the country's most ambitious scientific projects - a radio telescope the size of 30 football pitches.

The Five hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope, shortened to FAST, has been billed as the world's largest radio telescope and is located in the deepest mountains of rural southwest China.

The enormous dish is on track of completion in the second half of 2016 as engineers finished the wiring installation on the telescope on October 1,People's Daily Online reports.

Gargantuan: The Five hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope, shortened to FAST, is nearing completion in Guizhou, southeast China

Rural: Chinese scientists spent 17 years to find the Dawodang depression which has the perfect geographic condition to host the dish

FAST is located in the Dawodang depression, a huge karst valley in Pingtang County, Guizhou Province. It took the scientists as long as 17 years to find a hollow in the country large enough to accommodate the dish, which has a diameter of 1,640 feet.

Construction of the £124 million (1.2 billion Yuan) project began in March 2011 and is expected to complete in September 2016.

Technicians are currently assembling the telescope's reflector, which is made up of 4,450 triangle-shaped panels.

To ensure that the completed telescope can receive signals from different angles, engineers have fixed cables to the back of each panel so that it can change positions with an accuracy of 0.03 inches.

It will allow scientists to get weaker radio signals from outer space, even further than our solar system, according to an earlier report on People's Daily Online.

A wonder in the making: Construction of the £124 million project began in March 2011 and is expected to complete in September 2016

Construction: Engineers finished the wiring installation on October 1, which means the equipment is on track of completion late next year

The idea of building this radio telescope was first proposed in 1993.

But it was only approved in 2006 after an international review and advisory conference on the science and technology of FAST.

Scientists from different fields in China, including physicists, geologists and astronomers, welcomed the construction of the new telescope as it will boost the human capacity to observe outer space.

Li Di, the chief scientist of the National Astronomical Observatories Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: 'FAST will remain the best in the world in the next twenty to thirty years after it is completed.

'FAST can answer questions not only limited to astronomy but questions about humanity and nature.

'The scientific potential of this telescope is hard to predict.'

Chen Xuelei, a Chinese physicist, said that the data can help prove Einstein's relativity theory once more statistics of gravitational waves are retrieved from the telescope.

Perfect condition: With only one town in the 12 miles radius, the Dawodang depression is extremely isolated from magnetic disruptions

Details: Technicians are assembling the telescope's reflector, which contains 4,450 triangle-shaped panels with a side length of 36 feet

The intricate design allows scientists to shift the dish to receive radio signals from different angles.

Li Di said: 'The biggest challenge of this project is to calculate quickly and attached these data to thousands of computers to change the direction of such a gigantic telescope.

'We will be using lasers to pinpoint the exact coordinates, accurate to millimetres.'

The natural landscape of Dawodang depression provides the perfect size and shape for the construction of the telescope. The ground also provides enough support for the gigantic telescope.

The porous soil forms an underground drainage system that protects the telescope.

With only one town in the 12 miles radius, the Dawodang depression is extremely isolated from magnetic disruptions.

The remoteness of the location also protects the surrounding landscape from any damage.

Drone footage shows the radio telescope under construction in China | Daily Mail Online

 

[TaiShang]

Massive telescope's 30-ton 'retina' undergoes final test
November 23, 2015

Scientists carried out the last step in testing a key component of China's gigantic radio telescope on Saturday. After its scheduled completion in September, it will be the largest such telescope in the world.

Engineers have finished two-thirds of the panels of the gigantic radio telescope in Guizhou province as of Saturday. [Photo/China Daily]

A team successfully tested the installation of the telescope's "retina", a mechanism weighing 30 metric tons and suspended 140-160 meters above the half-finished reflector dish which will collect signals from the universe.

The telescope, 500 meters in diameter and usually known as FAST, is composed of 4,500 mostly triangular panels with sides measuring 11 meters that create a parabolic shape or hemisphere. The motion of the panels alters the collective shape of the antenna, which is capable of reflecting radio signals from the universe to a focal point, where the receiver dome sits.

"So far, one of the most important steps has been completed. We will finish installing all the panels by June 2016, and strive to debug the whole system by the end of September," Li Di, a chief scientist from the National Astronomical Observatories affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told China Daily.

The working mechanism of FAST, or Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, is similar to any television antenna on a roof, according to Li. But FAST is so much larger that "if you fill it with wine, every one of the world's seven billion people could get a share of about five bottles", he said.

FAST is unique because 4,350 panels have been designed to move up and down, which enables the whole hemisphere to rotate or to reshape.

"With a larger signal receiving area and more flexibility, FAST will be able to scan two times more sky area than Arecibo, with three to five times higher sensitivity," Li said.

FAST was first proposed in 1993 by Chinese astronomers, as one of several competing concepts for the international Square Kilometer Array project－a project by astronomers worldwide to build the next generation radio observatory.

"Ultimately, exploring the unknown is the nature of mankind, which is as visceral as feeding and clothing ourselves. It drives us to a greater future," he said.

Lister Staveley-Smith, an astronomer at the University of Western Australia, expects new discoveries from FAST, including previously unknown pulsars in the Milky Way and even in other more distant galaxies.

"The FAST's sensitivity and resolution will allow an extremely comprehensive study of thousands of galaxies in different environments in the local universe," he said in an e-mail exchange with China Daily.

Chris Salter, head of the Radio Astronomy Group at Arecibo, said the 305-meter radio telescope and FAST are both similar in many aspects and complementary to each other. "I have no doubt that FAST counts as being a very exciting development for radio astronomy, and I enthusiastically await the commissioning of the new telescope," he wrote in an e-mail.

 

[qwerrty]

 

[beijingwalker]

Largest Radio Telescope to Be Completed by China in 2016

 

[Keel]

It was shown on the net in Aug last year so can the telescope be almost structurally finished by now?
An interesting look at how the panels were transported and installed on the dish surface based on the works of cranes which were running and delivering panels along the outmost rim of the dish on a circular railtrack

.

 

[onebyone]

China's space telescope to displace humans in search for aliens
[URL='http://www.afp.com/']AFP • February 16, 2016
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View photo

The five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), nestled between hills in the southwestern province of Guizhou, is due to start operation this year (AFP Photo/)
China will move nearly 10,000 people to make way for the world's largest radio telescope which promises to help humanity search for alien life, state media reported on Tuesday.


The five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), nestled between hills in the southwestern province of Guizhou, is due to start operation this year.

Provincial officials have vowed to relocate 9,110 residents living within five kilometres of the listening device by September, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The relocations will "create a sound electromagnetic wave environment", it cited a top regional official named Li Yuecheng as saying.

Residents will receive 12,000 yuan ($1,800) in subsidies for their troubles, with some getting extra support for housing, it said.

FAST, built at a cost of 1.2 billion yuan, will dwarf the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico as the world's largest radio telescope, which is some 300 metres in diameter.

Xinhua earlier cited Wu Xiangping, director-general of the Chinese Astronomical Society, as saying that the telescope's high level of sensitivity "will help us to search for intelligent life outside of the galaxy".

In the past China has relocated hundreds of thousands of people to make way for large infrastructure projects such as dams and canals. Many complain of poor compensation.

The area surrounding the telescope is remote and relatively poor. Xinhua earlier said it was chosen because there are no major towns nearby.

As well as upping investment in astronomy, Beijing is accelerating its multi-billion-dollar space exploration programme, with plans for a permanent orbiting station by 2020 and eventually a manned mission to the moon.
China's space telescope to displace humans in search for aliens - Yahoo News

 

[JSCh]

China to relocate 9,110 for world's largest radio telescope
Source: Xinhua | 2016-02-16 14:28:08 | Editor: huaxia

Photo taken on Dec. 16, 2015 shows aerial view of the construction site of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope in Southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua photo)​

GUIYANG, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Guizhou Province is expected to evacuate more than 9,000 residents for the protection of the world's largest ever radio telescope before its completion in September, local authorities said Tuesday.

The evacuation is facilitated by a proposal delivered last year by several members of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), according to Li Yuecheng, secretary-general of the CPPCC Guizhou Provincial Committee.

The proposal asked the government to relocate residents within 5 kilometers of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, to create a sound electromagnetic wave environment, said Li.

The Guizhou provincial government is expected to resettle 9,110 residents in Pingtang County and Luodian County in four settlements by the end of September, he said.

Each of the involved residents will get 12,000 yuan (1,838 U.S. dollars)subsidy from the provincial reservoir and eco-migration bureau, and each involved ethnic minority household with housing difficulties will get 10,000 yuan subsidy from the provincial ethnic and religious committee.

Construction of the FAST began in March 2011 with an investment of 1.2 billion yuan.

Upon completion, the telescope will be the world's largest of its kind, overtaking Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, which is 300 meters in diameter.

 

[Daniel808]

China’s Giant Radio Telescope Reveals Astronomical Ambitions

The 500m aperture telescope under construction


China is building the world’s largest radio telescope with a 500m aperture in a project that demonstrates the country’s growing scientific ambitions.

Decades of high-powered growth have given China the means to invest in “prestige” sciences such as astronomy that are normally out of the reach of all but the richest nations. China hopes to land a man on the moon around 2025, matching a feat achieved by the US nearly 60 years earlier.

The design of the 500m aperture spherical radio telescope (Fast) allows it to scan a greater area of the sky than the 300m Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico, current holder of the largest telescope crown — although at any one time only 300m of its aperture can be deployed. It will be used to sense hydrogen gas and pulsars, in a search for clues as to the origins of the universe, although it will also have the potential to pick up signs of life outside our solar system.

Nonetheless, China is home to many innovative telescope designs, including the LaMost telescope in the forested outskirts of Beijing and an array in arid Xinjiang that use repurposed television antennas.

Nan Rending, chief scientist and general engineer of Fast, told CCTV news the telescope would give China an edge in exploring the vastness of the universe. “The larger aperture will be able to detect fainter objects in space,” he said. “We can learn about the origins, evolution of celestial bodies through the electromagnetic signals received.”

The telescope is built into a natural bowl formed by the distinct “sugarloaf” mountains of Guizhou in southern China, one of the country’s poorest regions. The peaks and dramatic valleys form the backdrops for many ancient Chinese paintings. Yuan Kai, the engineer of the project, said in the same CCTV broadcast that the unique geology actually made constructing the project easier. “If we were to create such a concave on flat land, that would mean removing 30 million cubic metres of earth and gravel” he said.

The telescope required as much steel as a quarter of the national stadium in Beijing, according to workers.

Local government officials said the project would perform another valuable, if more terrestrial function — providing the struggling Guizhou region with more tourism revenues. An astronomy theme park has been planned nearby and a local highway expansion has been sped up by five years.

A small village was destroyed to make way for the telescope, and on Tuesday the Xinhua news agency reported that more than 9,000 more people living within 5km of the telescope would be relocated

China’s giant radio telescope reveals astronomical ambitions - FT.com

Another Milestone of Chinese Space Development

 

[TaiShang]

Photo taken on June 21, 2016 shows the single-aperture spherical telescope "FAST" in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. The 500-meter aperture spherical telescope (FAST), to be completed within 2016, is expected to be the world's largest, overtaking Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, which is 300 meters in diameter. [Photo: Xinhua]



Workers install a feedback source cabin for the single-aperture spherical telescope "FAST" in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 21, 2016. The 500-meter aperture spherical telescope (FAST), to be completed within 2016, is expected to be the world's largest, overtaking Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, which is 300 meters in diameter. [Photo: Xinhua]



Photo taken on June 21, 2016 shows the single-aperture spherical telescope "FAST" in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. The 500-meter aperture spherical telescope (FAST), to be completed within 2016, is expected to be the world's largest, overtaking Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, which is 300 meters in diameter. [Photo: Xinhua]

 

[TaiShang]

World's largest radio telescope completes installation
(Xinhua) 13:08, July 03, 2016
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Combo photo taken on Aug. 2, 2015 (L, up), Dec. 16, 2015 (R, up), March 9, 2016 (L, bottom) and June 29, 2016 (R, bottom) show different assembling stages of the reflector of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or "FAST," in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. FAST, the world's largest ever radio telescope, has a dish-like reflector, which is 500 meters in diameter and made up of 4,450 panels. Now technicians have assembled 99.8 percent of the panels. The assembling work of the reflector will be completed on July 3. The telescope will be used to detect and collect signals and data from the universe. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

GUIYANG, July 3 -- The world's largest-ever radio telescope completed installation as the last piece of 4,450 panels was fitted in the center of the big dish on Sunday morning, a landmark step for its planned operation in September.

The hoisting of the last triangular-shaped panel to the reflector, as large as 30 football pitches, began at 10:47 a.m. and lasted about an hour.

About 300 people, including constructors, experts, science fiction enthusiasts and reporters, witnessed the installation in a karst valley in Pingtang County of the southwestern province of Guizhou.

 

[beijingwalker]

Building the world's largest radio telescope - BBC News

 

[beijingwalker]

Last reflector panel of China's mega telescope being installed