China approves plan to build world’s biggest telescope to hunt for alien signals

Asian giants, China has approved the plan of building the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope – a facility that would ‘listen’ to cosmic sounds and unlock some of the biggest mysteries of the universe, covering 75% of the skies.

The new telescope, dubbed Qitai Radio Telescope (QTT), will be developed in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with mountains all around – keeping it safe from stray radio frequencies.

Read also: NASA: There is water on Mars and it’s easily accessible

It will be working in tandem with Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) telescope, which is the current largest radio telescope in the world, also located in China.

However, unlike FAST and Arecibo Observatory, the second biggest on the list, the new, 6,000-ton telescope will feature a rotating circular dish measuring 110m in diameter.

This would enable scientists to steer around to directly aim at specific targets, covering a staggering 75% of the skies.

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now