By Tom McGregor, CNTV Panview
Does the world need another giant radio telescope? Yet before answering the question, we should ask, "What is a radio telescope?" According to Cambridge Online Dictionary, it is "device for receiving scientific study, the electromagnetic waves sent out by objects in outer-space."
Radio telescopes are instruments that can detect movements in our galaxies to identify new planets, stars and potential life forms in outer-space.
The world's largest radio telescope can be found at Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory with a dish, 300-m. in diameter. However, Chinese scientist have installed the final panel last week of the 500-m. Aperture Spherical Telescope, known as FAST, in Pingtan County, China's southwest Guizhou Province.
Construction completed ahead of schedule
The Chinese government selected a site in Guizhou Province due to its isolated location to avoid outside radio-waves interference. It stands in the Karst Valley surrounded by three hills that offer a natural background for receiving electromagnetic waves.
Construction started in March 2011, while all of its panels were fully-installed two months ahead of schedule. The radio telescope had been built with new technology and materials that were mainly ‘Made in China.’
"As the world's largest single aperture telescope located at an extremely radio-quiet-site," Nan Redang, chief scientist for FAST told China.Org.cn. "It’s scientific impact on astronomy will be extraordinary and it will certainly revolutionize other areas of natural sciences."
The massive reflector holds 4,450 panels with an overall size covering 30 football fields and a total investment -1.2bn. RMB.
Adapting new technologies
Beijing has embarked on a nationwide campaign to encourage more entrepreneurship, innovations, along with science & technology upgrades. Plans are underway to launch the ‘core module’ for China's first space station in 2018.
FAST is expected to start operating in September. Chinese scientists have already been assigned to conduct 1-2 years of early testing for debugging and to trial test-runs. Afterwards, FAST will be open-sourced for scientists from all over the world.
Peng Bo, director of China's NAO (National Astronomical Organization) Radio Astronomy Technology Laboratory, said FAST would enable scientists working at their home bases in a 2,000-km. radius (including Beijing) to participate in experiments, via remote control channels and observations.
Search for ET continues
Global media outlets have reported on China's research on extra-terrestrials as the main narrative for explaining the purpose of FAST. Studying life in outer-space have mesmerized science-fiction fans and UFO (unidentified flying objects) enthusiasts for over a century.
They hold high hopes, FAST will prove once-and-for-all that galactic aliens do exist. Highly-acclaimed sci-fi author, Liu Cixin, award-winner of the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel, was one of 300 spectators attendance in Pingtan County to witness the final panel installation of the FAST radio telescope.
"The telescope is of great significance for humans to explore the universe and extra-terrestrial civilizations," Liu told Xinhua. "I hope scientists can make epoch-making discoveries."
FAST has capabilities to uncover ET through detecting gravitational waves and amino acids found in realms beyond the Milky Way. The radio telescope has been enabled to survey neutral hydrogens and faint pulsars in distant galaxies.
New advances make new science
The FAST dish has collective area - 196,000m2. New instruments were adapted into the panels to analyze incoming radio-waves. Such receivers can even pick up mobile phone calls from Mars.
Transmitters record transient events down to timescales of nanoseconds, coinciding with multi-beam receivers to observe several galaxies at once. The scientific upgrades demonstrate how China is moving fast-forward with science & technology innovations.
Tmcgregorchina@yahoo.com
WeChat ID: 86 13439758718
( The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Panview or CCTV.com. )
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