It weighs more than 6,000 tons and covers an area as large as 23 basketball courts! Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China- People’s Republic begins construction of world’s largest mobile radio telescope….
Speaking of radio telescopes, we all think of “China Sky Eye”. This sky-viewing artifact located in the Dawodang depression of Pingtang County, Guizhou Province has a diameter of 500 meters. The full name is “500-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST)” ”, its spherical observation area is 250,000 square meters, comparable to 30 standard football fields, far ahead of other radio telescopes in the world, but this radio stabilization is fixed, and its sky survey observation function relies on the rotation of the earth , it cannot directionally observe celestial objects at a certain position in the sky, so its observation function has certain limitations. Its sky survey observation function is unparalleled, but its directional observation function is very weak. Only the celestial body directly above it can be in its best position.
Compared to the “China Sky Eye” 110-meter large-aperture radio astronomical telescope project started in Xinjiang] On September 21, 2022, an event of great significance to my country’s astronomical field occurred in Shihezi Village, Banjiegou Town, Qitai County, Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang. ——The foundation stone of the 110-meter-aperture omnidirectional movable radio telescope project was laid here.
Observation location. Chinese Sky Eye So, in addition to this fixed spherical radio telescope, the more common is the omnidirectional movable spherical radio telescope. This kind of telescope can adjust the observation direction and position at will. Except for the part blocked by the earth, it is almost unobserved….. The limitation of the position of celestial bodies, which is crucial for observing those celestial bodies that need to be studied for a long time.
So which is the largest mobile radio telescope in the world? The current name belongs to the Green Bank Radio Astronomy Telescope in the United States. It is located at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia, United States. This telescope is about 146 meters high, equivalent to the height of 49 floors, and weighs 7,700 tons. It is larger than the metal frame of the Eiffel Tower. (about 7,300 tons) is still heavy, equivalent to the weight of a medium and large destroyer, and it is also the largest land-based movable structure in the world. Green Bank Radio Telescope
What is more special is that the active surface of the dish antenna is not a perfect circle, but an ellipse with a length of 110 meters and a width of 100 meters. It is also the omnidirectional movable radio telescope with the strongest observation ability in the world.
However, according to a report by “CCTV News” on September 21, the world’s largest omnidirectional movable radio telescope is being built in Qitai County, Xinjiang, my country. The English QiTai radio Telescope, abbreviated as QTT) “has broken ground and started construction. It is a circular spherical radio telescope with a diameter of 110 meters, which is slightly larger than the Green Bank radio telescope in the United States.
Structural simulation diagram of odd radio telescope Qitai Radio Telescope is built in the closed basin of Shihezi Pasture, Shihezi Village, Banjiegou Town, Qitai County, Xinjiang. It has a high altitude, a relatively dry climate, and is far away from densely populated towns. It is shielded by mountains and has good astronomical observations. condition.
The scale of this giant sky-watching artifacts is also very large. It is expected that its antenna will exceed the height of a 35-story building, its weight will reach more than 6,000 tons, and its spherical aperture area is equivalent to 23 basketball courts. It can achieve high quality from 150MHz to 115GHz. During the observation, the surface shape accuracy can reach 0.3 mm and the pointing accuracy is 2.5 arc seconds, which can observe the celestial bodies with very dim wireless signals in the distant universe with high precision. Its observation objects include black holes, quasars, fast radio bursts, dark matter, gravitational waves, and even alien civilization signals.
It is estimated that the construction of this telescope will take 6 years. The media said that it will become the world’s largest and most accurate 100-meter omnidirectional movable radio telescope after completion. It will not last too long, because an omnidirectional movable radio telescope with a diameter of 120 meters, the Jingdong 120m Pulsar Radio Telescope (JRT), is being built in the Wuliang Mountains in Dali, Yunnan, my country. The giant telescope is located in Xujiaba, Taizhong Town, Jingdong County, Pu’er City, Yunnan Province. It is the largest omnidirectional movable radio telescope currently under construction in the world. Jingdong 120m Pulsar Radio Telescope
I believe that with the use of these astronomical observation “power tools” with the title of “world first”, our achievements in astronomical exploration will gradually become world first.
References:
“CCTV News” client September 25, 2022 article “Foundation of the Xinjiang Qitai Radio 110-meter Aperture Telescope in my country Begins”
“China News” September 29, 2020 article “The World’s Largest Aperture Fully Movable Low-Frequency Radio Telescope Project Launched in Jingdong, Yunnan”
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