Sci-Tech

Guo Shoujing telescope releases world's largest data volume

2025-11-05   

When the AIMS telescope in the cold lake of Qinghai gazes at the solar magnetic field, and when the "Chinese Celestial Eye" FAST in the deep mountains of Guizhou listens to the pulsar rhythm, at the Heibei Xinglong Observatory of the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the hinterland of Yanshan, the celestial observation weapon named after Guo Shoujing, an astronomer in the Yuan Dynasty, is also visiting the sky in different ways. This large sky area multi-target optical fiber spectral astronomical telescope is China's first large scientific device in the astronomical field, which is managed by the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. As of October 2025, the cumulative number of spectra released has reached 28.07 million, with 11.59 million sets of stellar parameters, ranking first in the world in terms of data volume. The localization of key technologies and the recording of the starry sky by humans began with naked eye observation. Ancient astronomers compiled star catalogs, just like "compiling household registration" for the starry sky; Galileo pointed his telescope towards the sky for the first time, initiating the study of celestial "morphology"; The breakthrough of Guo Shoujing's telescope marks a more refined era in astronomical research. The spectrum is like the 'DNA' of celestial bodies. If previous astronomical telescopes were used to 'take photos' of celestial bodies, then the Guo Shoujing telescope was used to' test their genes'. ”Luo Ali, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Guo Shoujing Telescope Operation and Development Center, said that by analyzing the observed spectral data, scientists can interpret the temperature, chemical composition, motion state and age of stars, thus reconstructing the formation and evolution history of the Milky Way. Behind achieving this scientific breakthrough is a crucial path towards localizing key technologies. As the core component of telescopes, special broadband optical fibers have long been monopolized by foreign countries. The focal plane of the Guo Shoujing telescope is equipped with 4000 fiber positioning units, corresponding to 4000 beams of astronomical special broadband optical fibers. These fibers are connected from the focal plane to the spectrometer, allowing the telescope to simultaneously obtain data from 4000 different celestial bodies. This is the key to achieving large-scale spectral surveys and completing optical signal transmission. In the past year, China has contributed to the exploration of the universe by publishing 417 papers based on data from the Guo Shoujing telescope, including 1 cover article in Science, 9 sub journals in Nature, and 1 sub journal in Science, setting a new historical high. At the same time, the data observed by Guo Shoujing's telescope has been utilized and scientifically researched by over 1800 users from 300 units worldwide, with a download volume of approximately 170TB and 3.73 million queries on data publishing websites. From the formation and evolution of the Milky Way to cutting-edge scientific fields such as dense celestial bodies and exoplanets, the massive data provided by the Guo Shoujing telescope is expanding humanity's understanding of the universe and becoming the key to solving mysteries. The Guo Shoujing telescope is currently in a period of high scientific productivity, continuously contributing Chinese efforts to human exploration of the universe. ”Luo Ali said. Building a complete puzzle to understand the universe and explore it has always been the most magnificent expedition of human intelligence. A number of astronomical observation tools have been successively built and breakthroughs have been made, enabling China to form a three-dimensional observation network from optics to radio, from stars to planets, and from time domain to spectral range in the field of astronomical observation. This multi band collaborative observation constructs a complete puzzle of understanding the universe through orthomorphism. As a young researcher once said, "When we record spectral data deep in the Yanshan Mountains, we seem to hear the footsteps of those pioneers." Looking ahead to the future, the Guo Shoujing telescope team is continuously advancing technological upgrades, and multiple key technologies have achieved a leap from "catching up" to "breakthrough", realizing domestic research and development. Using the Guo Shoujing telescope as a pilot platform, the team has collaborated with Changfei Fiber Optic Cable Co., Ltd. to develop a domestically produced astronomical special broadband fiber suitable for use in optical telescopes. Laboratory testing and preliminary on-site testing of the telescope have been completed. Luo Ali stated that the technological breakthrough of Guo Shoujing telescope is not limited to the field of astronomy, but has profound strategic significance. It not only verifies China's independent research and development capabilities in active optical systems, fiber positioning control systems, and other fields, but also drives the development of related industrial chains such as high-precision optical components, precision machinery manufacturing, and independent software algorithms in China, accumulating valuable experience for the subsequent development of larger aperture and higher performance astronomical telescopes. (New Society)

Edit:Momo Responsible editor:Chen zhaozhao

Source:Xinhua News Agency

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