The research team responsible for the Chinese radio telescope “Fast”, or “Chinese Eye of the Sky”, which has a diameter of 500 meters and is considered the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world, announced that the telescope has identified more than 740 new pulsars since its launch.
Pulsars, or fast-spinning neutron stars, arise from the exploded cores of dying giant stars in big bangs.
Observing pulsars is a key task for FAST, as it can be used to confirm the existence of gravitational radiation and black holes, and help solve many key questions in physics.
Jiang Peng, principal engineer of FAST, said that the observation period of the telescope has exceeded 5,300 hours annually since its launch in September 2016, with a data volume of 30 to 40 terabytes received every day, which has contributed to the discovery of more than 740 pulsars to date. Now, according to Xinhua.
Jiang added that discovering more pulsars with FAST could help scientists find evidence of gravitational waves, or create independently controlled time reference systems.
The FAST telescope is located in a naturally deep and round karst depression in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, spanning a receiving area the size of about 30 soccer fields.