FAST telescope is being threatened by Chinese people

The huge number of tourists visiting the world's largest radio telescope in China, is making the active glass no longer effective, Hoa Nam reported in the morning.

According to Chinese government statistics, only this month there were 4 million visitors to the Fast Telescope, a spherical telescope with an opening of 500m in Pingtang District, Guizhou Province. And only in the Le boat day on May 30, 220,000 people came here.

Panoramic view of the world's largest telescope FAST.(Photo: SCMP).

It is estimated that the number of tourists coming here twice a month compared to the number of visitors to the Arecibo telescope (the second largest telescope in the world, located in Puerto Rico) for a year.

The FAST telescope was built to help scientists better understand the universe, which will support the study of the types of outer and far-flung frequencies that seek life outside the Earth.

For that purpose, the telescope was placed in a remote place, away from the noise. However, the number of tourists coming here is gradually breaking the operating environment of the glasses.

On the Chinese side, they are trying to attract more tourists to the country. A travel official in the country said they expected to welcome 10 million tourists this year.

"That's the number of visitors visiting the school every year, and we will have a new world wonder," - the official said.

Photos of selfie travelers with the world's largest telescope.(Photo: Handout).

According to a report by Guizhou Daily, the number of visitors in the first half of 2017 brought about 4.6 billion yuan in revenue (equivalent to 15 trillion VND), an increase of 40% over the same period last year. Until next month, after the 8-lane expressway connecting Binh Duong with Quy Duong is completed, the road from the airport to FAST will be shortened to 1 hour. It is expected that the number of tourists coming here will increase even higher.

Scientists working here are expressing their frustration. They especially worry about the electromagnetic interference caused by the number of visitors coming here. However, they hesitate to confront the local authorities. "We understand the motivation for the local economy and poverty reduction," said one researcher.

Telescope worth 1.2 billion yuan (equivalent to 4,000 billion VND), which was completed last year, is the most expensive astronomical project in China. FAST is capable of detecting alien civilization 5 to 10 times more than current devices, because it can see farther and darker planets.