China Completes Building of the Space Weather Telescope

China completes construction of its first interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observation telescope. The telescope will conduct daily observations of interplanetary space weather. China's IPS telescope combines the advantages of single-site and multi-site systems.

Credit: China Media Group

The telescope has successfully passed its technical testing process, indicating that it is ready for operation.

The IPS telescope will play a crucial role in the daily observation of interplanetary space weather, providing high-quality data for both China and international space weather forecasting. This state-of-the-art facility will contribute to a better understanding of solar winds and other important parameters through the scintillation of distant, compact sources at radio wavelengths.

Unlike existing IPS facilities around the world, which use either single-site systems or multi-site systems, China's IPS telescope combines the advantages of both approaches. It consists of a main station located in Mingantu, Xilingol League of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and two auxiliary stations in Yihe Gaole and Wurigentala. These three stations form an equilateral triangle, with each station approximately 200 kilometers apart.

The main station boasts China's largest parabolic cylindrical radio telescope, featuring antennas that are 140 meters long and 40 meters wide. This impressive setup offers high detection sensitivity across the 327 MHz, 654 MHz, and 1400 MHz frequencies. The telescope's system design incorporates a hybrid scanning approach and utilizes digital multi-beam receiving technology, enabling continuous coverage over a wide field of view.

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• China completes construction of its first interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observation telescope.

• The telescope will conduct daily observations of interplanetary space weather.

• China's IPS telescope combines the advantages of single-site and multi-site systems.

Source: CGTN