On June 3, installation work of the world's largest radio telescope at Karst Valley in the southwestern province of Guizhou, China was completed. The 500 metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), is composed of a reflector, which is the size of 30 football fields, with 4,450 panels fitted into its centre. Work on the $180 million FAST project began in 2011. Chinese scientists say that the telescope is of great significance for humans to explore the universe and extraterrestrial civilisations. In the first two or three years after its completion, the telescope will undergo further adjustment, and during that period Chinese scientists will use it for early-stage research. It will later be open to scientists worldwide. Upon completion, the telescope will dwarf Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, which is 300 metres in diameter. It will also be 10 times more sensitive than the steerable 100-metre telescope near Bonn in German. Here's the mammoth telescope in pictures:
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