On December 1, 2020, the U.S. National Academy of Science** confirmed that the Arecibo Telescope on the U.S. island of Puerto Rico had its suspended equipment platform fall after two serious cable accidents, destroying the antenna surface. The incident resulted in repairs of up to $8 million, which experts say have a low probability of repair and will no longer be used.
Sky Eye has become the world's only full-aperture spherical radio telescope with reflective surface, leading radio astronomy research. However, since last July, its position may be challenged.
In February 2021, a square kilometre array observatory called SKA set up its headquarters in the United Kingdom, and construction began in July of the same year. It is said that with an investment of up to 15.4 billion yuan, it will become the largest telescope in human history.
Radio telescopes are fundamentally different from general telescopes. It observes and studies radio waves from celestial bodies and measures the intensity, spectrum, and polarization equivalence of celestial radio charges. It works by passively receiving cosmic radio waves.
The main structure of a radio telescope is a rotating parabola, which reflects electromagnetic waves to make it in phase to reach a common focus. The signal was amplified and recorded, which became the basis for four important discoveries in astronomy in the 60s of the 20th century.
The Sky Eye detected 13.7 billion light-years away and discovered more than 370 new pulsars, far more than all other telescopes in the world at the same time.
SKA is a major scientific project of the 21st century, which will include 197 dish antennas and 130,000 antennas to form an array, greatly improving resolution, sensitivity, and expanding wavelength coverage, which is expected to convert received signals into images and answer questions such as the origin of the universe.
Although SKA may surpass the Sky Eye, Sky Eye has the world's leading absolute sensitivity, and has unique advantages in the fields of cosmic evolution, pulsar detection, and interstellar molecular search. Other countries will still need to use the Sky Eye until new telescopes are built.
For the future of radio astronomy, Academician Ye Shuhua suggested that China should assume the role of SKA as the Asian regional center, and Tianyan should become a partner of SKA, improve the resolution by ten times, and open up the field of radio frequency.
Regardless of where the high technology comes from, we should support it, because this is an important step in the exploration of space and the universe by mankind, and it is of great significance to global astronomical research.
This article on the challenges of radio telescopes and SKA in China provoked me to think about the competition between astronomy and technology. The development of radio telescopes represents mankind's ongoing pursuit of cosmic exploration. The article provides a detailed introduction to the history, working principle and achievements of Sky Eye, and highlights the impact that SKA may have on the status of Sky Eye as a huge scientific project in the future.
In the context of increasingly fierce competition in science and technology, China's Sky Eye, as the world's largest single-aperture radio telescope, has shown remarkable achievements. Its leading position in cosmic signal detection, pulsar discovery, etc., as well as its absolute sensitivity, make it an important research tool in radio astronomy. However, as a huge international cooperation project, SKA's expected huge scale and future development potential should not be underestimated. The article points out that after the completion of the SKA, it may go beyond the Sky Eye, which will be a turning point in the field of astronomy.
Behind this kind of scientific and technological competition is not only a simple technological development, but also a symbol of national scientific research strength and international scientific cooperation. China's academician Ye Shuhua put forward suggestions for future cooperation, hoping that Tianyan can become a partner of SKA and create a new situation with higher resolution and a wider range of research fields. This international cooperation model is an important trend in future scientific research, and it is also an effective way to jointly explore the mysteries of the universe.
The development of radio astronomy has not only had a huge impact on the scientific community, but also has given us a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the universe. The development of this cutting-edge technology not only expands our understanding of the universe, but also stimulates people's curiosity to explore the unknown. Both Tianyan and SKA represent the courage and determination of human scientific exploration, and deserve the common respect and support of scientists around the world.
In general, the development of radio telescopes represents the combination of science and technology and human wisdom, which has far-reaching significance for mankind to explore the unknown territory of the universe. Whether it is China's Tianyan or SKA, they are important milestones in the progress of human science, bringing not only scientific and technological breakthroughs, but also mankind's endless enthusiasm and pursuit of space exploration.
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