China to open up Fast telescope to foreign scientists – including those searching for alien life
- Facility in Guizhou can detect signals no other telescope on Earth can and has already been seeking signs of extraterrestrial communications
- Foreign researchers can submit applications from April and will be given 10 per cent of available slots
Fast, the world’s largest radio telescope, will open to non-Chinese scientists later this year for a wide range of projects, including the search for alien civilisations.
Researchers interested in using the 500 metre (640 feet) wide telescope in the southwestern region of Guizhou can submit their proposals to the National Astronomical Observatories in Beijing starting from April 1.
As demand is expected to be huge, an expert panel will help screen the proposals for the most promising candidates. Foreign scientists may be able to start using the facilities by August, said Jiang Peng, the telescope’s chief engineer.
“This year we will allocate about 10 per cent of the total observation time slots to requests from overseas,” he told the official Xinhua news agency.
03:54
China to open world’s largest telescope to international experts to boost scientific credentials