China completes world's largest alien-hunting telescope

The final triangular panel in the world’s largest radio telescope was lowered into place this weekend as Chinese officials amped up the hunt for alien life.

From New York Daily News: ET, phone Beijing.

If intelligent beings lurk in the universe, the spectacular new Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) is uniquely equipped to find them, promised Peng Bo, director of the National Astronomical Observation (NAO).

“FAST’s potential to discover an alien civilization will be 5 to 10 times that of current equipment, as it can see father and darker planets,” Bo told the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The $180 million telescope, a massive dish comprised of 4,450 panels, is the size of 30 football fields. The telescope should become operational in September after two months of debugging and trials, according to Xinhua.

“The telescope is of great significance for humans to explore the universe and extraterrestrial civilizations,” said renowned science fiction writer Liu Cixin.

“I hope scientists can make epoch-making discoveries,” he added.

“FAST’s potential to discover an alien civilization will be 5 to 10 times that of current equipment, as it can see father and darker planets,” Bo told the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Click here to read more.