Move over, sci-fi blockbusters – China just upgraded its real-life cosmic toolkit! 🌠 Two massive 40-meter radio telescopes, nicknamed 'space eyes,' officially began operations Friday in remote regions of the Chinese mainland. One gazes at the stars from snowy Changbai Mountain (think Frozen meets Star Wars), while its twin peers skyward from Xizang’s high-altitude terrain. 🏔️
These dishes aren’t just pretty tech – they’re part of China’s expanding Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) network. Imagine six telescopes across the country working like a giant virtual lens as wide as 3,800 km! 🔭✨ This setup helps scientists track lunar landers, Mars rovers, and even study mind-bending phenomena like gravitational waves. Scientists say the upgrade literally expands their view of the universe by 25%!
‘This is like giving astronomers superhero vision,’ said SHAO director Shen Zhiqiang. The network recently supported the Chang’e-6 moon mission and will soon help explore asteroids and Jupiter. 🪐 Future missions could unlock secrets about black holes and galaxy formation – basically answering questions Elon Musk might tweet about. 😉
Building these cosmic listeners was no walk in the park: Teams battled -20°C winters and thin air at 4,100 meters altitude. But the payoff? China’s now got front-row seats to the universe’s greatest shows. 🎟️ As CAS academician Ye Shuhua put it: ‘We’re writing new chapters in humanity’s space story.’ 📖
