🌟 Exciting times in space exploration! China's massive 40-meter-aperture radio telescope just hit a major milestone in the Xizang Autonomous Region. Last Friday, the main antenna was hoisted and installed in Shigatse, marking a big leap forward for this groundbreaking project.
Developed by the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this fully movable, high-precision, multi-purpose telescope is set to be completed by the end of 2024. And guess what? We'll start seeing incredible observations as early as 2025! 📡✨
Nestled about 35 kilometers west of Shigatse's city center at an altitude of 4,100 meters, the telescope's location minimizes electromagnetic interference. Talk about a prime spot for star-gazing! 🌌🏔️
Once operational, the telescope will join China's very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) network. This network links radio telescopes across the country with a data processing center at SHAO, enhancing China's deep-space exploration capabilities.
So, what's VLBI? It's a super cool technique that measures tiny time differences in signals received by multiple Earth-based antennas. This creates a virtual telescope as big as the distance between the antennas. Mind-blowing, right? 🤯
By connecting these telescopes, China is forming a gigantic, hyper-precise synthesized aperture radio telescope. This will provide crucial support for future lunar and planetary exploration, including manned lunar landings! 🚀🌙
Stay tuned, space enthusiasts! The universe is getting a little closer thanks to this stellar project. 🌠🚀
Reference(s):
Main antenna reflector of radio telescope in Xizang installed
cgtn.com
