China has started building the Xue-shan-mu-chang 15-meter submillimeter telescope (XSMT) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, aiming for completion in 2027.

The telescope, which will have a 15-meter diameter and sit at 4,800 meters altitude in Delingha, Qinghai Province, is led by the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Scientists said the XSMT will help address a gap in the country’s astronomical infrastructure by providing advanced capabilities to observe cold, hidden regions of the universe that are blocked by interstellar dust.

Submillimeter telescopes can detect atomic and molecular gases invisible to optical telescopes and require sites with low and stable water vapor.

The location was chosen for its high altitude and minimal human interference.

Once operational, the XSMT is expected to support research in extragalactic astronomy, the Milky Way’s structure, time-domain astronomy, and astrochemistry.

Researchers also said it could join international telescope networks to capture images of black holes.

🔗 Source: Xinhua