China’s Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), the world’s largest filled-aperture telescope, will accept global applications for its 2024 observation season starting April 6th. Scientists can propose observation projects for August 2024 to July 2025 through FAST’s website.
Since operations began, FAST has attracted applications from 15 countries, including Germany, Italy, and France, focusing on fast radio bursts, pulsars, and neutral hydrogen surveys.
Located in Guizhou Province, China, FAST has been open to international researchers since March 31, 2021, granting nearly 900 hours of observation time to foreign teams.
British astronomer Ralph Eatough emphasized FAST’s unique sensitivity, allowing for experiments like detecting pulsars in external galaxies.
The team aims to enhance FAST’s stability and efficiency, with the telescope averaging 5,300 hours of observation annually and contributing significantly to astrophysics by detecting over 890 pulsars, more than three times the number found by similar international telescopes.
FAST currently undertakes tasks in pulsar search and timing, neutral hydrogen surveys, and fast radio burst studies, highlighting its critical role in astrophysical research with its sensitivity.
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