2016年CRI World's largest radio telescope completes installation

 

The construction of the project was started in 2011 with an investment of 1.2-billion yuan, or about 180 million US dollars.

The 500 metre Aperture¹ Spherical² Telescope, or FAST, is the size of 30 football fields.

It's located in a hollow that was formed 45 million years ago with the collapse³ of a karst cave in Pingtang county. Experts describe the hollow as an extremely 'radio-quiet' site.

The firm working on the project, the Wuchuang Shipbuilding Industry Group, used a unique air transfer and flexible hoisting⁴ technique to speed up the progress of the scheme.

Wang Weiling, deputy director of the company, says great care has been taken in installing the panels.

"FAST has 4,450 triangular⁵ panels. There was no risk of damage during the hoisting process. At the site, our company undertook the accurate installation of every panel, and we improved the technology involved in transferring the panels and positioning them. We have installed these 4,450 panels accurately⁶ on over 2,000 spherical fulcrums. From research and development to production, It took us over two years to complete the mission."

The reflector panel is the core device that decides the telescope's radar⁷ coverage⁸ and detection precision. With a side length of 10 to 12 meters, each reflector panel is composed of 100 triangles each made with extreme precision to a matter of milimetres.

Zheng Yuanpeng, chief designer of the reflector panel, explains their unique design.

"We can see that there are lots of holes on the reflector panels so they can reduce over 50 percent of wind. These holes can enable rainwater to permeate⁹ and will reduce aerodynamic drag. It has another advantage, in that it allows the sun to shine through, so plants can grow as before. It's very eco-friendly."

Chinese experts say the telescope will help scientists find more pulsars, which will help them gain a greater understanding of the "big bang" at the very beginnings of the universe.

"Pulsars are neutron¹⁰ stars that send out radio pulses. It is highly-dense and highly-magnetic matter that cannot be found on earth."

Researchers with China's National Astronomical¹¹ Observatories¹² say the telescope should be able to detect radio signals from more than 1,000 light years away, making it the most sensitive radio telescope in human history.

The telescope, which has taken about five years to build, is expected to begin full operation in September, following a period of debugging work and testing.

The telescope now dwarfs¹³ Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory¹⁴, which is 300 meters in diameter. It will also be 10 times more sensitive than the steerable¹⁵ 100-meter telescope near Bonn, Germany.

For CRI, I'm Linda Mills.

1 aperture   

n.孔，隙，窄的缺口

参考例句：

• The only light came through a narrow aperture.仅有的光亮来自一个小孔。
• We saw light through a small aperture in the wall.我们透过墙上的小孔看到了亮光。

2 spherical   

adj.球形的；球面的

参考例句：

• The Earth is a nearly spherical planet.地球是一个近似球体的行星。
• Many engineers shy away from spherical projection methods.许多工程师对球面投影法有畏难情绪。

3 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

4 hoisting   

起重，提升

参考例句：

• The hoisting capacity of that gin pole (girder pole, guy derrick) is sixty tons. 那个起重抱杆（格状抱杆、转盘抱杆）的起重能力为60吨。 来自口语例句
• We must use mechanical hoisting to load the goods. 我们必须用起重机来装载货物。

5 triangular   

adj.三角（形）的，三者间的

参考例句：

• It's more or less triangular plot of land.这块地略成三角形。
• One particular triangular relationship became the model of Simone's first novel.一段特殊的三角关系成了西蒙娜第一本小说的原型。

6 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

7 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

8 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

9 permeate   

v.弥漫，遍布，散布；渗入，渗透

参考例句：

• Water will easily permeate a cotton dress.水很容易渗透棉布衣服。
• After a while it begins to permeate through your skin.过了一会，它会开始渗入你的皮肤。

10 neutron   

n.中子

参考例句：

• Neutron is neutral and slightly heavier than the proton.中子是中性的，比质子略重。
• Based on the neutron energy,the value of weighting factor was given.根据中子能量给出了相应的辐射权重因子的数值。

11 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

12 observatories   

n.天文台，气象台( observatory的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• John Heilbron, The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories, 3-23. 约翰．海耳布隆，《教会里的太阳：教堂即太阳观测台》，第3-23页。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists use satellites, land observatories and historical data to provide information about the weather. 气象学家使用卫星、上天文台和历史资料来提供有关天气的信息。 来自互联网

13 dwarfs   

n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Shakespeare dwarfs other dramatists. 莎士比亚使其他剧作家相形见绌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The new building dwarfs all the other buildings in the town. 新大楼使城里所有其他建筑物都显得矮小了。 来自辞典例句

14 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

15 steerable   

可驾驶的，易操纵的；可控

参考例句：

• The MBHW04 is the first well using geometry steerable drilling technology in China. 新疆油田MBHW04水平井是国内第一口使用地质导向钻井技术的井。 来自互联网