Hey space explorers! 🚀 Guess what? China just took a huge step towards unlocking the mysteries of the universe! They capped the main structure of a mega radio telescope in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. That’s a big deal! 🎉
This telescope is no ordinary one. It’s got a gigantic dish that’s 110 meters wide—that’s like stacking up over 60 school buses! 🚌🚌🚌 And it weighs more than 6,000 tonnes. Whoa!
But here’s the coolest part: this telescope is fully steerable. That means it can turn and look at different parts of the sky, allowing it to observe 75% of the celestial bodies out there! 🌠 Most telescopes of this size can’t move like this one can.
They started building it in September 2022, and it’s expected to be finished by 2028. Next up, they’ll be installing all the equipment and testing the systems. It’s kind of like building a giant spaceship, step by step! 🛠️
Oh, and did you know? China is also building the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope with a 120-meter dish in Jilin Province. Talk about aiming for the stars! 🌟
Right now, the biggest operational fully steerable radio telescope is the Green Bank Telescope in the United States, which has a dish measuring 100 by 110 meters. But China’s new telescopes are set to take that title! 🏆
Why does this matter? Well, with these powerful telescopes, scientists can learn more about our universe, discover new galaxies, and maybe even find signs of life beyond Earth! Wouldn’t that be amazing? 🌍👽
So keep your eyes on the sky, because the universe has lots of secrets waiting to be discovered. And who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll be the scientist making the next big discovery! 🧑🔬✨
Reference(s):
Main structure of China's mega radio telescope capped in Xinjiang
cgtn.com
