China's FAST telescope approves nearly 6,400 observation hours for global scientists

This aerial panoramic photo taken on July 26, 2023 shows China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

GUIYANG, July 28 (Xinhua) -- China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish and most sensitive radio telescope, has received applications from 16 countries and approved a total of nearly 6,400 hours for observation.

The application items mainly involve fast radio bursts observation, pulsars observation and neutral hydrogen survey.

Located in a deep and round karst depression in southwest China's Guizhou Province, FAST started formal operation in January 2020 and officially opened to the world on March 31, 2021.

FAST's operation and maintenance team has been working to further improve its observation efficiency and meet the growing demand from the international astronomical community.

According to Jiang Peng, chief engineer of the telescope, the five intelligent robot systems and platforms for maintenance, which have passed the acceptance test, will help increase the time of observation by 30 days per year.