China may be building the world's largest telescope, clues suggest
What's the story
There are growing speculations that China may be constructing the world's largest telescope. The rumors stem from a number of clues, including a recent social media announcement by state-owned Nanjing Astronomical Instruments. The company revealed it had won a $22 million contract for a dome to house a 48-foot telescope. In April, students visiting a science institute also reported seeing mirror arrangements for such an observatory.
Astronomical ambitions
Chinese astronomer hints at completing project before retirement
A leading Chinese astronomer has also hinted at his desire to complete this ambitious telescope project before his retirement. The observatory, if completed, could challenge American technological dominance and give China a strategic edge. However, no official confirmation from Chinese officials has been received yet. The lack of acknowledgment is unusual for such a major scientific endeavor.
Strategic implications
Concerns over possible military applications of telescope
The possibility of China constructing this massive telescope has raised concerns over its possible military applications. Matt Mountain, head of the non-profit that runs NASA's observatories and space telescopes, suggested two reasons for China's interest in such a project.One is that astronomical advancements can serve both scientific and military purposes. The other is to inspire children to pursue sciences with an aim to surpass the US in a few decades.
Telescopic benefits
Why ground-based telescopes are still important
Despite the popularity of space telescopes like James Webb, ground-based ones are still important. They can be serviced easily and are much bigger, compensating for disadvantages like light pollution and atmospheric distortions. Bigger telescopes provide sharper images, helping astronomers determine distances between faraway objects more accurately. This could lead to the discovery of more potentially habitable planets in the Goldilocks temperature range.
Telescopic scale
China's telescope may beat these 2 projects
If China completes its 48-foot telescope soon, it would become the world's largest. This is unless a delayed 128-foot European telescope in Chile is finished first. Kirshner's Thirty Meter Telescope group, an international project with US, Canadian, Indian, and Japanese institutions, proposes a 98-foot telescope on Hawaii's Big Island. Instead of one giant mirror that would require mountain transport and building an unfeasibly huge furnace, it would use 492 hexagonal segments, each 4.7 feet wide.
Funding push
Kirshner pushing for funding for the Thirty Meter Telescope
Kirshner, who has been pushing for big-telescope funding in Washington, learned from Chinese-speaking peers that a telescope site was being developed on the Tibetan Plateau. Armed with this information, he met congressional staffers and National Science Foundation officials. Despite a setback when the US President Donald Trump proposed cutting NSF's annual budget, a Senate spending committee later recommended minimal cuts and supported both the Giant Magellan Telescope project and Kirshner's Thirty Meter Telescope.