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China’s massive telescope took five years to complete, but it’s made a speedy impact
1 Feed cabin
A cabin weighing 30 tonnes and containing the feed antenna is suspended on cables 140 metres (459 feet) above the dish. Winches can be used to steer the instrument, allowing signals to be received from many different directions.
2 Reflecting surface
The surface is made up of 4,450 triangular panels made of perforated aluminium, forming a reflecting surface 500 metres (1,640 feet) in diameter that focuses on the antenna. Usable space is about 300 metres (984 feet), and it can observe sources within 40 degrees of the zenith.
3 Support towers
The six support towers are about 100 metres (328 feet) in height; they contain the winch servomechanisms as well as a counterweight to assist in cable tensioning.
4 A long period
Nicknamed Tianyan, or ‘Heaven’s Eye’, the Fivehundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope – located in a natural basin in Guizhou, China – began trial operations in September 2016. It became fully operational in January 2020.
5 Radio silence
To ensure radio silence within five kilometres (three miles), it’s said that 8,000 people were moved from their homes in eight villages and given new accommodation. Its remote location meant China struggled for a while to recruit people to run it.