Submitted via IRC for crutchy
The world's largest radio telescope began searching for signals from stars and galaxies and, perhaps, extraterrestrial life Sunday in a project demonstrating China's rising ambitions in space and its pursuit of international scientific prestige.
Beijing has poured billions into such ambitious scientific projects as well as its military-backed space program, which saw the launch of China's second space station earlier this month.
Measuring 500 meters in diameter, the radio telescope is nestled in a natural basin within a stunning landscape of lush green karst formations in southern Guizhou province. It took five years and $180 million to complete and surpasses that of the 300-meter Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, a dish used in research on stars that led to a Nobel Prize.
The official Xinhua News Agency said hundreds of astronomers and enthusiasts watched the launch of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, in the county of Pingtang.
Researchers quoted by state media said FAST would search for gravitational waves, detect radio emissions from stars and galaxies and listen for signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life.
"The ultimate goal of FAST is to discover the laws of the development of the universe," Qian Lei, an associate researcher with the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told state broadcaster CCTV.
Source: http://phys.org/news/2016-09-china-world-largest-radio-telescope.html
There's also a video about it on YouTube.
Related Stories
The Arecibo Observatory is a 309 meter wide radio telescope located in Puerto Rico. Not only can it be used for passive observing of radio frequencies, it has also been used as an active source — to bounce radar signals off planetary bodies — and then use its receiver to perform imaging studies.
Hurricane Maria caused tremendous damage across Puerto Rico — many people are still struggling to find food, water, and power. Though most of the potential damage was mitigated, the observatory did sustain millions of dollars in damages and it is possible that this may lead to its being closed:
China still having trouble staffing up its mega-telescope
China has built a staggeringly large radio telescope in a remote part of the country, and, although it is the largest and most advanced instrument of its kind in the world, the country continues to have a difficult time staffing up the observatory.
Not only has the 500-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST instrument, still failed to attract a chief scientist, according to the South China Morning Post the facility is also struggling to attract two dozen researchers to work onsite to maintain the instrument and analyze data collected there.
One problem is pay. According to the Post, astronomers interested in joining working there should speak fluent English and expect to work in the remote location on a long-term basis. (The telescope is located in southwest China's mountainous Guizhou Province.) Compensation for the job is meager, at least by Western standards—about 100,000 yuan, or $14,400 annually.
Previously: China Announces Petascale Supercomputer for FAST Radiotelescope
China Builds World's Largest Radiotelescope
China Begins Operating World's Largest Radio Telescope
China Can't Find Anyone Smart Enough to Run its Whizzbang $180M 500 Meter Radio Telescope
Related: Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory Saved From Uncertain Fate
(Score: 2) by Anne Nonymous on Sunday September 25 2016, @07:49PM
In other news, China reports achieving the Guinness World Record for largest serving of General Tso's Chicken ever cooked in a single wok.
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Sunday September 25 2016, @08:26PM
Did someone say chicken?
compiling...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @11:41PM
They say it's chicken, but I noticed there's no dogs or cats in the neighborhood.
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Monday September 26 2016, @12:37AM
Velociraptors then?
compiling...
(Score: 2) by butthurt on Monday September 26 2016, @02:39AM
That would be funny. The dish was invented in Taiwan by a chef who had fled the Communists, then it was perfected (?) in New York City.
https://www.salon.com/2010/01/06/history_of_general_tsos_chicken/ [salon.com]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday September 26 2016, @09:00PM
It doesn't matter, until Hollywood features it either in a spy movie, hopefully with some kind of vehicular chase, or in some alien invasion ultimate weapon scenario (accidentally located in the US if it's the best weapon to kill the aliens at the end).