在按上最后一塊后,中國組裝好了世界上最大的射點望遠(yuǎn)鏡,它將于九月開始運營,國家媒體報道說。
The 500m-wide Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, is the size of 30 football fields。
這個500米口徑球面射電望遠(yuǎn)鏡(FAST),有30個足球場那么大。
The $180m (135m pounds) satellite project will be used to explore space and help look for extraterrestrial life, Xinhua news agency reported。
這個花費1.8億美元(1.35億英鎊)的衛(wèi)星項目將用于太空探索和找尋地外生命,新華新聞社報道說。
Advancing China’s space program remains a key priority for Beijing。
一直以來,推進(jìn)中國的太空項目對于北京都是關(guān)鍵要務(wù)。
Scientists are now due to start debugging and trials of the telescope, Zheng Xiaonian, deputy head of the National Astronomical Observation under the Chinese Academy of Sciences told Xinhua。
科學(xué)家們將開始調(diào)試和測試望遠(yuǎn)鏡,Zheng Xiaonian——中國科學(xué)院國家天文觀測副組長說道。
What will the telescope do?
這個望遠(yuǎn)鏡會用于什么?
Survey neutral hydrogen in distant galaxies and detect faint pulsars (highly magnetised balls of neutrons)
在遙遠(yuǎn)的星系勘測中性氫和探測微弱的脈沖星(高度磁化的中子球)
More than 2,000 pulsars so far said to have been detected
據(jù)說已檢測到的脈沖星超過2000個
Improve the chances of detecting low frequency gravitational waves
提高檢測低頻引力波的幾率
Help in the search for extraterrestrial life
幫助尋找地外生命
FAST will replace the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, which is around 300m (984ft) in diameter, as the world’s largest telescope。
FAST將替代波多黎各阿雷西博天文臺的望遠(yuǎn)鏡(直徑300米),成為世界上最大的望遠(yuǎn)鏡,
China has stated that its space program has peaceful purposes, but the US Defence Department has said it was pursuing activities aimed to “prevent adversaries from using space-based assets in a crisis,” reported news agency Reuters。
中國已經(jīng)表示它的太空項目是以和平為目的,但美國國防部說它從事著以“防止對手在危機中使用天基資產(chǎn)”為目的的活動,新聞機構(gòu)路透社報道說。
Beijing is due to launch a “core module” for its first space station in 2018。
北京將于2018年在它的第一個空間站使用“核心模塊”。