The telescope prototype recently successfully completed its experimental operation and tests on the cold continent, Ukrinform reported with reference to CGTN.

A new project called the Antarctic TianMu Time-Domain Astronomical Observing Array is expected to deploy 100 small-aperture optical telescopes in the Antarctic region, each observing a 10,000-square-degree patch of sky.

According to project developers at the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, these optical telescopes will conduct continuous observations in the polar night every year.

The prototype of the telescope was delivered to the Chinese Antarctic Station “Zhongshan Station” during the 39th scientific expedition and has been used continuously for 248 days since February. It has demonstrated high reliability and efficiency by providing researchers with large amounts of qualitative data.

Analysis of the resulting images proved that the photometric accuracy of the prototype reached one thousandth of the stellar magnitude, as predicted by the technical parameters.

Shanghai experts also noted that their prototype is China’s first astronomical observation equipment in Antarctica and is based on drifting scanning device technology, which allows the telescope to track celestial objects without a drive mechanism without changing the observation position.

Chinese scientists noted that Antarctica geographically has a number of advantages for observing space objects, and in connection with this, China plans to implement various astronomical projects on the southern continent.

As reported by Ukrinform, private Chinese company i-Space successfully launched its own commercial Hyperbola-1 launch vehicle (Hyperbola-1 or SQX-1) on Sunday, launching a prototype of the future B300 reusable cargo ship into Earth orbit.

Photo: “SHAO”