China completes world's biggest telescope, eyes hunt for alien life

www.abc.net.au...

Wahoooo! I can't wait for news........although I'm a bit sad that it has been built in one of "the most" secretive nations on earth.......so what we might get is a load of crap? Who knows?

China has finished building the world's biggest radio telescope, which it will use to explore space and hunt for extraterrestrial life, state media says.

The 500-metre Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, is the size of 30 soccer fields and has been hewn out of a mountain in the poor south-western province of Guizhou.

Scientists will now start debugging and trials of the telescope, Zheng Xiaonian, deputy head of the National Astronomical Observation under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which built the telescope, told the official Xinhua news agency.

"The project has the potential to search for more strange objects to better understand the origin of the universe and boost the global hunt for extraterrestrial life," the report paraphrased Mr Zheng as saying.

The 1.2-billion yuan ($240 million) radio telescope will be a global leader for the next one to two decades, Mr Zheng added.

The telescope, which has taken about five years to build, is expected to begin operations in September.

Advancing China's space program is a priority for Beijing, with President Xi Jinping calling for the country to establish itself as a space power.

China's ambitions include putting a man on the moon by 2036 and building a space station, work on which has already begun.

China insists its program is for peaceful purposes, but the US Defence Department has highlighted China's increasing space capabilities, saying it is pursuing activities aimed to prevent adversaries from using space-based assets in a crisis.

a reply to: CaptainBeno

Hunt or look? Biiiiiiig difference there

It wouldn't surprise me the least if China was the one to discover life outside of earth. They are making more strides in space than anyone else lately. Well compared to the USA and Russia and India.

a reply to: CaptainBeno

It's going to be a big big day when they release their 1st images. Shame it's China, but still very exciting!

Moon by 2036!? Why is it taking over 60 years for someone to do what the US did in 8!?!?

Geez, you'd think we would have been having vacations on the moon for the last 20 years!! I want what was promised to me as a child!!! lol

a reply to: tikbalang

Right? This sounds like a satellite killing scope to my old mind.

I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but, recent history (the last few years at least) might indicate otherwise.

a reply to: SpringerReally? I never would have thought of that angle? Why would you think this? Could something stationary like this have that much of a range on all satellites or just some in range?

a reply to: Springer

Right? This sounds like a satellite killing scope to my old mind.

You mean like Arecibo?

Thing is, a satellite would have to be directly over the dish to be killable. Assuming that is, it has much of a transmitter. Sort of iffy.

a reply to: Springer

Agreed.

I certainly hope it has a super sensitive receiver hooked up to it.....


....not a very powerful transmitter........

ZAP!

a reply to: CaptainBeno

Wow the race is on, the Vatican will have to build another bigger!

a reply to: Phage

I wonder why they didn't go with an array?

Like you said: what they built is limited in direction, like Arecibo.

But huge array on the other hand.......hrmmmmm.....

originally posted by: Naturallywired
It wouldn't surprise me the least if China was the one to discover life outside of earth. They are making more strides in space than anyone else lately. Well compared to the USA and Russia and India.

Really does China have a car driving around Mars sending back hi-def pics daily?

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Springer

Right? This sounds like a satellite killing scope to my old mind.

You mean like Arecibo?

Thing is, a satellite would have to be directly over the dish to be killable. Assuming that is, it has much of a transmitter. Sort of iffy.

That's kinda was my thought also. You know line of sight and such?

a reply to: eriktheawful
I don't think an array is as effective as a single large dish.
Maybe Bedlam will be attracted to this thread.

originally posted by: imsoconfused

originally posted by: Naturallywired
It wouldn't surprise me the least if China was the one to discover life outside of earth. They are making more strides in space than anyone else lately. Well compared to the USA and Russia and India.

Really does China have a car driving around Mars sending back hi-def pics daily?

They have one on the Moon. And with Hi-res pics.

I will give it a month or so and it will start falling apart just like everything else from China

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: eriktheawful
I don't think an array is as effective as a single large dish.
Maybe Bedlam will be attracted to this thread.

Yea you and bedlam in my opinion the goto guys on this forum for the real info. Thanks!

Here it is under construction.

Hmmm. Image is from March. Seems they did a lot of work in 4 months.

a reply to: Phage

Hmmmm really. That is interesting if a real date?

a reply to: CaptainBeno

Ah. Upon zooming in with Google Earth, it seems the image of the dish itself is from September of 2014.
There are more recent images in the wider angle view and that's the date which appears.