China puts two new radio telescopes into operation

(ECNS) -- Two new 40-meter-aperture radio telescopes were put into operation after more than one year constructions in Shigatse, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region and Changbai Mountain in northeast China's Jilin Province, according to the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on Thursday.

Along with the two telescopes, China's very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) network will transform from four observatories located in Beijing, Shanghai, Urumqi, and Kunming, with a data processing center managed by SHAO to a six-station, one-center network.

The longest baseline of China's VLBI network, or the "effective aperture of the virtual telescope" will be extended from approximately 3,200 kilometers to about 3,800 kilometers with a 25 percent increase in observable sky area and an angular resolution exceeding 2 milliarcseconds in X-band, an 18 percent improvement.

The radio telescopes will join China's VLBI network to form a twin network capable of offering technical support to the country's lunar and deep-space probe missions in the future.

Previously, China's real-time VLBI technology was applied to the Chang'e 1lunar exploration mission for the first time.

The construction of the two telescopeshas witnessed great challenges. One telescope was built at an altitude of 4,100 meters, while the other was located in a frigid region where winter temperatures can drop below minus 20 degrees Celsius, according to SHAOscientists.

The two telescopes will drive scientific advancements in cutting-edge astronomical fields, including supermassive black holes, rapid variability of compact objects and gravitational wave electromagnetic counterparts, Galactic dynamics, and high-precision Earth-space integrated reference frames, said Shen Zhiqiang, head of SHAO.