Remote galaxies, black objects, dark forces, and the origin and evolution of the universe are some of the many scientific objectives of the recently announced Chinese space telescope. If all goes according to plan, the China Space Station Telescope (CSST) will explode over the Long March 5B rocket sometime in late 2023. Once in a safe place, CSST should start watching in 2024. Looking at these research articles, it seems that as the Chinese Academy of Sciences throws down the scientific gauntlet that impresses itself and its astronomers.
What It Means to Have a Space Telescope
Owning and using a space telescope really opens the door to a wealth of information space. Certainly, that is what inspired the creation of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The dream of cosmic exploration inspired Hermann Oberth in the 1920s to write science fiction books about telescopes orbiting in asteroids. In his view, astronomers would also be living and working in space while using telescopes for long periods of time. Their view could not have been blocked by the Earth and its atmosphere. That vision inspired many modern scientists to begin designing a telescope in real life. Their work culminated in the HST, the first of the so-called “Large Observatory Industries” that were promoted around the world. The other are the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Scientifically speaking, orbiting space telescopes offer enormous benefits to the entire electromagnetic spectrum range. For example, prior to the HST, no one had a fair idea about the level of galaxy in the atmosphere. The famous Hubble Deep Field view allows astronomers to look at the stars and galaxies as they did after the Big Bang, in both visible and infrared light. The HST unveils glimpses of the immense universe and smaller objects such as exoplanet, comets, and asteroids. All Great Observatories set the stage for new generations of orbiting instruments, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, the European Space Agency’s GAIA, NASA’s WISE telescope, and now, CSST. China Enters Space Telescope Fray
In view of the potential scientific rewards, it is not surprising that China is joining the “big space telescope club”. And it is a source of national pride, especially if they were able to “get out the Hubble Hubble”. For example, once the CSST is in operation, Chinese scientists hope to study the sky and see more than a billion galaxies. Their tools should allow them to get the most accurate measurements of the galaxy’s shape, shape, and brightness. They will use a telescope to track exoplanets, star births, and other distant objects, collecting incredible amounts of high-resolution data.
Chinese astronomers hope that their telescope will provide, as the HST has done and the JWST will, more understanding of the scale and distribution of black matter. It may also give them better clues about the dark forces affecting the expansion of the universe. And, as the HST and other telescopes have been, the CSST will be a point of encouragement. Its designers hope to show new generations of Chinese scientists how to explore the universe.
Check out CSST: The next generation Space Telescope
So, what do we know about CSST? Imagine a large place to look around. About the height of the three-story building and the width of the school bus. It has a 2-meter hole and a list of three mirrors set in the off-axis configuration. The test center has a state-of-the-art test camera, multi-channel image, critical field spectrograph, cool-planet imaging corograph, and terahertz receiver. The telescope can scan the sky using 30 81-megapixel receivers, and it is sensitive to infrared, visible, and near ultraviolet light.
Li Ran, a project scientist at CSST’s Scientific Data Reduction System, pointed out that the HST viewing area is small compared to CSST’s, which is 300 times larger. When Hubble sees a small part of the sky at once, the CSST will see a much larger image. Li used the imagery to photograph a flock of sheep to illustrate their abilities in comparison. “Hubble may see a sheep but the CSST sees thousands, all agreeing with the same decision,” he said in a press release.
One of the most distinctive features of the CSST is its penetration into space. At first the telescope was to be connected to the Tiangong space station, but that changed. First of all, it is very likely that you will be contaminated by the coming spacecraft. Alternatively, CSST is so sensitive that it cannot be attached to a channel. Vibration, distorted light, and visually impaired views can interfere with the operation of the telescope. The current plans are to place it on the same route as the station (approximately 265 miles high) but at a safer distance.
When the viewing area needs any type of service, it can move to Tiangong to refuel and other maintenance operations. That program reflects the lessons learned from the HST construction of the 70s. NASA paid for five space visits to clear the observatory. Therefore, enabling CSST to operate the channel astronauts has already saved money for the Chinese CSST (also known as Xuntian and Chinese Survey Space Telescope) is currently under construction. It has been in planning and development since 2010.
For More Read: https://www.universetoday.com/155825/china-announces-its-new-flagship-space-telescope-mission/
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