China to open giant telescope to international scientists

The 500m giant satellite dish is easily the world's largest and cost 1.1 billion yuan to build.- AFP

PINGTANG, China (AFP): Nestled among the mountains in southwest China, the world's largest radio telescope signals Beijing's ambitions as a global centre for scientific research.

The Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical telescope (FAST) -- the only significant instrument of its kind after the collapse of another telescope in Puerto Rico this month -- is about to open its doors for foreign astronomers to use, hoping to attract the world's top scientific talent.