The Peking University in China has unveiled its plan to build the largest optical telescope in Asia and close the gap in astronomy capabilities with the rest of the world. This move comes amidst China's expanding space programme after being shut out of global space collaborations at the behest of NASA and being left in isolation for years.
The project aims to create the first stage of the telescope, which will have an aperture of 6 metres wide, by 2024. Later on, in another 6 years, a different module will be attached to it, which will have an aperture of 8 metres. The project is called the Expanding Aperture Segmented Telescope or EAST in English.
[...] The EAST abbreviation is fitting since the facility would become the first world-class optical telescope in the eastern hemisphere. The world's largest facilities as of today are in the Western Hemisphere at sites around Mauna Kea in Hawaii, Atacama in Chile, and the Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa, and is controlled by a coalition of nations led by the US.
The EAST telescope's first phase envisions building a mirror made up of 18 hexagonal mirror segments, resembling the mirror for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. The mirror would have a diameter of around 6 metres feet, again similar to that of JWST.
[...] EAST would also be a rather important addition to China's broader growing astronomy capabilities. The country has built the world's largest single-aperture radio telescope called FAST, and plans to launch a large space observatory known as Xuntian as soon as late 2023. China also launched its own space station called the Tiangong space station last month, after completing the building and docking of its final module in late 2022.
(Score: 3, Funny) by PiMuNu on Tuesday January 03, @05:53PM (4 children)
> The world's largest facilities as of today are in the Western Hemisphere at sites around Mauna Kea in Hawaii, Atacama in Chile, and the Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa, and is controlled by a coalition of nations *led by the US.*
Coughs. Spills beer.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 03, @06:24PM (3 children)
When I read tfa, I had some trouble figuring out if this new telescope was on the ground (what mountain top/side) or in space. Since it's on the ground, why all the mixed in details about China's space program?
(Score: 4, Touché) by tangomargarine on Tuesday January 03, @06:39PM (2 children)
It sounds like it will be launched into orbit, at which point it will cease being the largest optical telescope in Asia.
Better way to phrase it would've been "largest optical telescope made in Asia"?
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 4, Interesting) by tangomargarine on Tuesday January 03, @06:44PM (1 child)
Whoops--no, you're right. The word "launch" is in the original article title, but appears spurious. According to the article body it's being built on the ground.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 03, @07:14PM
For me the confusion started near the top:
> create the first stage of the telescope, which will have an aperture of 6 metres wide, by 2024. Later on, in another 6 years, a different module will be attached to it, which will have an aperture of 8 metres.
Stage and module are both words that I equate with operations in space...
(Score: 3, Funny) by Kymation on Tuesday January 03, @07:25PM (1 child)
Is this a new measuring system? Do we need yet another system? I think we should just stay with good old cubits. It was good enough 2000 years ago, so why change?
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 03, @07:57PM
Units of length are based on the length of the King's penis. At least that's what a Basque old timer told me. As you might imagine, he wasn't big on royalty, given centuries of royal oppression of the Basques.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 04, @09:45AM
I wish they would put on their big boy boots and do some actual quality work. It ain't that hard, and certainly beats cheating and stealing other people's shit. Come on, make it interesting.