China has launched the world's largest solar radio telescope - it has 313 6-metre-long antennas arranged in a circle with a diameter of 3.14 km

The Sun is approaching the peak of its activity. Meanwhile, Chinese scientists are preparing to study the star of our system. For this purpose, they have created the world's largest solar radio telescope. A few days ago, it began operating.

Here's What We Know

The system consists of 313 antennas each 6 metres long. They are arranged in a circle with a diameter of 3.14 kilometres. This means that the telescope covers an area of almost 7.75 square kilometres. The antenna array works as one huge radio mirror.

The complex of 6-metre antenna arrays has been named Daocheng Solar Radio Telescope (DSRT). The solar radio telescope is installed in Sichuan province. It began operating a few months after it was commissioned at the end of 2022.

Chinese scientists spent more than half a year setting up the DSRT instruments. The solar radio telescope officially began operating on 14 July 2023.

The developer of the DSRT is the National Space Science Centre of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The radio telescope was part of the Meridian project launched to monitor space weather.

Source: space