China to open world’s largest radio telescope to international scientists in April

Team Udayavani, Jan 7, 2021, 4:10 PM IST

China will officially open the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope to international scientists, starting April 1.

The 500-metre Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) has a diameter of half a kilometre and had started operations in January last year. It has a receiving area equivalent to about 30 football fields.

#China will open access of its 500-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (#FAST), the world’s largest radio telescope, to the scientific community of the world from April 1,2021. #Astronomy pic.twitter.com/DYBjLNYBiO

— Ambassador Deng Xijun (@China2ASEAN) January 5, 2021

Radio telescopes are designed to “listen” or “receive” signals emitted from the cosmos. With specialized antennas and radio receivers, these telescopes can detect radio waves from stars, galaxies and black hole. The data collected in turn help scientists better explore the universe.