China intends to install telescopes in Tibet to detect gravitational waves. The newest detectors will be located at an altitude of about 6 thousand meters above sea level.
This was reported on Saturday by the Xinhua news agency with reference to a representative of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“At the moment, the installation of the first device, codenamed“Ngari-1”, is underway. It will be located 30 km south of the city of Shiquanhe,”said Professor Yao Yongqiang, who participates in the work of the interdepartmental group of specialists.
He also added that the country's leadership has set them the task of equipping the world's highest observatories for more effective space exploration.
After commissioning, which is scheduled for 2021, the telescope will observe and collect accurate data on gravitational waves in the Northern Hemisphere.
In total, the project includes two phases. In the future, it is also planned to create a series of telescopes "Ngari-2". For the construction of two telescopes, the PRC government allocated 130 million yuan ($ 18.7 million).
Scientists from a number of research organizations will participate in the project, including the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Shanghai Institute of Microsystems and Information Technology, and the Institute of High Energy Physics.
Recall that the world's largest radio telescope FAST (Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope) was launched in September in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou. It is designed to receive radio emission from celestial objects within the metagalaxy and study their characteristics. In particular, using FAST, scientists will search for extraterrestrial life, study gravitational waves, objects of the reionization era. Also, these installations will form the basis for modeling the evolution of galaxies.