The world's largest telescope performs historical mission

On September 25, the world's largest telescope - Thien Nhan (China) was officially put into operation with the mission of seeking extraterrestrial life.

Telescope "The Five-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope" (FAST), Chinese name: Heavenly Eye (Guizhou Province) is the world's largest telescope, about the size of 30 football and sugar fields. glass 500m. FAST is assembled from 4,450 11m triangle panel panels.

Thien Nhan telescope started operation on September 25.

The FAST telescope is located on a valley with nearly perfect spherical terrain. This can help drain water well, ensuring rainwater does not penetrate and damage the reflective surface of the telescope.

FAST was designed and built over the past 5 years with a cost of US $ 180 million (equivalent to 4 trillion). Its mission is to find gravitational waves or signs of strange sounds from other planets , thereby searching for extraterrestrial life. The ultimate goal of FAST is to explore the laws of the universe's development.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to scientists and engineers to build Thien Nhan telescope. He wrote: " The birth of FAST represents a major breakthrough in China's field of scientific research and is important for the strategy of promoting the country's innovation."

FAST telescope with diameter up to 500m.

The FAST telescope has a pretty promising start. In a recent test, FAST received a well-established set of electromagnetic waves sent from a distance of 1,351 light years.

Foreign scientists are welcome to China and use Thien Nhan for scientific research. It will take 2-3 years, FAST can operate in a stable and maximum capacity.