Photo taken on March 29, 2021 shows the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) under maintenance in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)
GUIYANG, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest filled-aperture and most sensitive radio telescope, has officially opened to the world starting Wednesday.
Astronomers worldwide can submit their applications for observations, said the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in a statement.
All foreign applications will be evaluated, and the results will be announced on July 20. Observations by international users will begin in August.
The statement noted that FAST will provide its research facilities to the world with a more open attitude, offering more observation options for the international astronomical community.
Since it started operation, FAST has provided stable and reliable services. It has found 300 pulsars and made breakthroughs in fields like fast radio bursts, a type of powerful radio wave in the sky.
An engineer of China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) shows the website to submit applications for observations in southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)
Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) under maintenance in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)
Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) under maintenance in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)
Staff members maintain devices of China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) at a machine room in southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)
A staff member maintains devices of China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) at a machine room in southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)
Aerial photo taken on March 28, 2021 shows a panoramic view of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) under maintenance in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)■
