China has launched the largest radio telescope in the world FAST – RBC

the radio Telescope FASТ (Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope)

Photo: Liu Xu/Xinhua via AP

China started the world’s largest radio telescope FASТ, which area is equal to 30 football fields. As expected, on Sunday, the telescope cost $ 180 million, will make its first images

Chinese scientists have launched the world’s largest radio telescope FASТ (Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope), reports People’s Daily. It is expected that on launch day he’ll do his first pictures.

the Manufacturing of the telescope started in March 2011 and was completed in July of 2016. In area it is equal to 30 football fields, has 4450 triangular reflectors, and its diameter is 500 m. the Telescope is set high in the mountains in Guizhou province in southwest China.

According to the head of the operator of the project Square Kilometer Arra (SKA) Philip diamond, FAST will allow you to open things that we’ve never seen before.” “Chinese all-seeing eye” will give scientists the opportunity to observe unusual cosmic objects to study dark matter and evolution of galaxies, as well as to expand the search for extraterrestrial civilizations.

Before it was built FAST, the world’s largest was 305-meter radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.

According to the Agency “Xinhua”, the investment in the project amounted to 1.2 billion yuan ($ 180 million).