China finished the world's largest single-aperture telescope

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China finished the world's largest single-aperture telescope



For the past 53 years, Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory has been the king of radio telescopes. No more. China has just finished construction of its Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), which is 64-percent larger. That makes it the worlds largest single-aperture telescope -- the world's largest radio telescope is Russia's RATAN-600, which has a sparsely filled aperture.

Nestled in a rural area of Guizhou province, FAST was built in an isolated valley, which is important for radio telescopes, but in order to ensure there will be no magnetic disruptions, some 9,000 people are being removed from their homes and rehoused in a neighboring county. Xinhua News Agency reported displaced families are also being paid 10,000 yuan (roughly $1,500) in compensation, which translates to an average year's salary in the area.

More: https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/05/china-fast-radio-telescope-construction-complete/