China‘s Five Hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) has recently been unveiled. What is now the world’s largest radio telescope was initially planned to be launched in September of this year, but the last of its 4,450 triangular panel was installed ahead of schedule over the weekend.
Located on the side of a mountain in the province of Guizhou, the telescope took over five years to build to the tune of $180 million and is the size of 30 soccer fields. It’s massive size is nearly double of that of the second largest radio telescope: Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory which measures 300 meters in width.
FAST was built in order to search for extraterrestrial lifeforms (yes, aliens) as well as phenomena in the Universe such as pulsars, quasars, and gravitational waves.
According to China’s state media reports, the residents within 5 kilometers of FAST were relocated and given 12,000 yuan (approx.
PHP33,568) as compensation.
Do you think FAST will find aliens?
