What is the News ?

In September, China plans to launch the Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST).

Facts About:

This telescope is the largest time-domain survey facility in the Northern Hemisphere.

Its main goals are as follows:

• To explore and continuously monitor dynamic astronomical events and conduct research in the field of time-domain astronomy.
• To detect faint and distant celestial signals, including those from galaxies beyond our Milky Way and galaxy clusters.
• To search for planets or their moons in the Kuiper Belt and beyond.
• To track and study a comprehensive list of one million solar system objects, providing a detailed view of the solar system's history and evolution.

The WFST is positioned at the Lenghu astronomical observation base in Qinghai Province, northwest China.

• This location, with an average altitude of approximately 4,000 meters, offers ideal conditions for observing the night sky, thanks to its clear skies, stable atmosphere, dry climate, and minimal artificial light pollution.
• It's widely recognized as one of the finest observatory sites across the Eurasian continent.

The WFST project commenced in July 2019, a result of collaboration between the University of Science and Technology of China and the Purple Mountain Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.