China built the largest telescope in the world, but there are no specialists in the country who can manage it.

The Chinese leadership loves large-scale projects. And in general in this country everything is big - huge cities with millions of inhabitants, a huge number of roads and junctions, a very rich economy that continues to grow, although not as fast as it used to be. Recently, the list of achievements of China has replenished with one more - scientists and engineers built the largest radio telescope in the world. Its diameter is 200 meters larger than the diameter of the previous record holder from the Arecibo Observatory .

Now the system passes the last tests, and will start working in September. The cost of the project was $ 180 million. The project took several years to complete - work began in 2011. The interesting thing is that the Chinese plan to make their telescope accessible to all - at least for astronomers whose research is important for science.

The radio telescope was built in a sparsely populated region in the south-central region of China. Despite the fact that there are not so many people here, yet because of this project, the government had to relocate 2029 families. This was done to ensure that the radio emission generated by household appliances and electronics of local residents does not interfere with the operation of the telescope. Total resettlement affected 9110 people, each of whom received compensation in the amount of $ 1,800 (equivalent).
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After creating the telescope, it suddenly turned out that there was no specialist in the country with the experience necessary to control such a giant. For this reason, Chinese scientists turned to the international community for help. The request is to find the right specialist who could manage all the created infrastructure without any problems and, accordingly, the scientists who take part in the project. Publication about the search for a specialist was posted on many resources in May, but the right person has not yet been found.

The reason, in general, is clear. The fact is that a candidate must have at least 20 years of experience in the field of radio astronomy, and not in a regular position, but as a manager. Also, the potential head of the Chinese Observatory must meet a number of other criteria, including a doctoral degree, as well as a professorship in one of the leading universities in the world.

According to experts, in the world there are no more than 40 astronomers who meet the requirements of the Chinese. The fact is that radio astronomy is quite a specific industry. It is not as ambitious as the others, and there are not so many professionals here. All of them are in demand and work in the best observatories in the world. This is an interesting job, which, to all, is also well paid. True, the Chinese are ready to offer about $ 1 million per year for a specialist who would agree to go to work for them. But since there is still no response to a vacancy, it is likely that scientists who do not really want to move to a new place do not meet the criteria for the Chinese.



“I am sure they will find someone. But most American astronomers do not want to work too much abroad. For example, it was difficult to find people for La Sirena, I don’t understand this, considering how beautiful and friendly Chileans are here, ”said Sanzev, one of the participants in the project of the Giant Magellan telescope (Eng. Giant Magellan Telescope; GMT). Then a similar problem arose - a telescope was built, but people found it difficult to work with it.

The scientific community had questions about the need to create a radio telescope even in the process of discussing the project. The fact is that this is a passive "dish", which is unable to send radio signals, unlike the same radio telescope in Arecibo. The diameter of the Chinese system is 200 meters larger than that of the Arecibo telescope (500 meters instead of 300). But the effective FAST size is 400 meters, so here the difference is not so great. The system from Arecibo, due to the fact that it can send radio signals, is an effective tool for detecting asteroids in close proximity to the earth. FAST has no such possibility.

Whatever it was, and the search for the candidate continues. Perhaps a specialist who comes to the position of a project manager will be able to prove that FAST is of exceptional importance an instrument that is capable of much in capable hands.