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China-FAST/MeerKAT/Observation
FILE: Pingtang County, Qiannan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, southwest China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope; diagrams of observation data
FILE: Carnarvon, Northern Cape Province, South Africa - July 13, 2018 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Various of 64-dish MeerKAT array
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of animations of globular clusters, pulsars, telescope receiving signal of pulsar; diagrams of observation data
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Di, professor, Tsinghua University (starting with shot 3/ ending with shots 5-6):
"By combining equipment from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, which are of different capabilities, we have more than doubled our observational sample."
FILE: Pingtang County, Qiannan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, southwest China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope
FILE: Carnarvon, Northern Cape Province, South Africa - July 13, 2018 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
6. 64-dish MeerKAT array
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of diagrams of observation data, Li Di, professor, Tsinghua University, explaining
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Di, professor, Tsinghua University (starting with shot 7/ ending with shots 9-11):
"We call it the 'dust-free realm' among the Milky Way's ancient celestial bodies. Why have these globular clusters remained so clean after such a long process of evolution? This is a new question for us. Scientists now speculate that many smaller but highly active members of the globular cluster 'family,' such as white dwarfs and neutron stars, are constantly radiating energy, 'blowing away' the electron 'dust' created by other stars."
9. Diagram of observation data
10. Various of Li, expert, in discussion
11. Various of animations of celestial bodies
FILE: Pingtang County, Qiannan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, southwest China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Various of Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope; diagrams of observation data
FILE: Carnarvon, Northern Cape Province, South Africa - July 13, 2018 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
13. Various of 64-dish MeerKAT array
Chinese astronomers and their international peers have jointly refreshed the limits for Galactic observation using the country's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) and South Africa's MeerKAT array radio telescope.
The outcome came after Chinese and international astronomers completed high-precision observations of the Milky Way's globular clusters with concerted efforts.
Globular clusters, some of the oldest celestial bodies in the Milky Way, typically consist of millions of stars, including pulsar neutron stars. These highly magnetized pulsars emit regular electromagnetic pulses with exceptional precision, which carry valuable information about the interstellar matter and magnetic fields, traveling across vast space to reach Earth.
FAST is adept at capturing the faintest cosmic ripples, the signals from pulsars located millions of light years away. Meanwhile, MeerKAT's 64-antenna array focuses on tracking signals across a broader area of the sky. The Tsinghua-led project marks the first deep collaboration between these two world-leading radio telescopes in the study of globular clusters.
Participating astronomers attributed the accomplishment to the synchronization between the two nations' telescopes
"By combining equipment from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, which are of different capabilities, we have more than doubled our observational sample," said professor Li Di from Tsinghua University.
This collaboration successfully obtained polarization rotation measurements of 43 pulsars from eight globular clusters, and such measured results are a key indicator of the strength of the cosmic magnetic field. Notably, the research found that seven of these globular clusters showed no detectable ionized gas, indicating an exceptionally "clean" environment, according to astronomers.
"We call it the 'dust-free realm' among the Milky Way's ancient celestial bodies. Why have these globular clusters remained so clean after such a long process of evolution? This is a new question for us. Scientists now speculate that many smaller but highly active members of the globular cluster 'family,' such as white dwarfs and neutron stars, are constantly radiating energy, 'blowing away' the electron 'dust' created by other stars," said Li.
Both sides expect further collaborations on pulsar mutations and interstellar turbulence, and even exploration of possible signals from extraterrestrial civilizations.
China-FAST/MeerKAT/Observation
Dateline : Recent/File
Location : China
Duration : 2'08
FILE: Pingtang County, Qiannan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, southwest China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope; diagrams of observation data
FILE: Carnarvon, Northern Cape Province, South Africa - July 13, 2018 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Various of 64-dish MeerKAT array
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of animations of globular clusters, pulsars, telescope receiving signal of pulsar; diagrams of observation data
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Di, professor, Tsinghua University (starting with shot 3/ ending with shots 5-6):
"By combining equipment from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, which are of different capabilities, we have more than doubled our observational sample."
FILE: Pingtang County, Qiannan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, southwest China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope
FILE: Carnarvon, Northern Cape Province, South Africa - July 13, 2018 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
6. 64-dish MeerKAT array
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of diagrams of observation data, Li Di, professor, Tsinghua University, explaining
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Di, professor, Tsinghua University (starting with shot 7/ ending with shots 9-11):
"We call it the 'dust-free realm' among the Milky Way's ancient celestial bodies. Why have these globular clusters remained so clean after such a long process of evolution? This is a new question for us. Scientists now speculate that many smaller but highly active members of the globular cluster 'family,' such as white dwarfs and neutron stars, are constantly radiating energy, 'blowing away' the electron 'dust' created by other stars."
9. Diagram of observation data
10. Various of Li, expert, in discussion
11. Various of animations of celestial bodies
FILE: Pingtang County, Qiannan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, southwest China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Various of Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope; diagrams of observation data
FILE: Carnarvon, Northern Cape Province, South Africa - July 13, 2018 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
13. Various of 64-dish MeerKAT array
Chinese astronomers and their international peers have jointly refreshed the limits for Galactic observation using the country's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) and South Africa's MeerKAT array radio telescope.
The outcome came after Chinese and international astronomers completed high-precision observations of the Milky Way's globular clusters with concerted efforts.
Globular clusters, some of the oldest celestial bodies in the Milky Way, typically consist of millions of stars, including pulsar neutron stars. These highly magnetized pulsars emit regular electromagnetic pulses with exceptional precision, which carry valuable information about the interstellar matter and magnetic fields, traveling across vast space to reach Earth.
FAST is adept at capturing the faintest cosmic ripples, the signals from pulsars located millions of light years away. Meanwhile, MeerKAT's 64-antenna array focuses on tracking signals across a broader area of the sky. The Tsinghua-led project marks the first deep collaboration between these two world-leading radio telescopes in the study of globular clusters.
Participating astronomers attributed the accomplishment to the synchronization between the two nations' telescopes
"By combining equipment from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, which are of different capabilities, we have more than doubled our observational sample," said professor Li Di from Tsinghua University.
This collaboration successfully obtained polarization rotation measurements of 43 pulsars from eight globular clusters, and such measured results are a key indicator of the strength of the cosmic magnetic field. Notably, the research found that seven of these globular clusters showed no detectable ionized gas, indicating an exceptionally "clean" environment, according to astronomers.
"We call it the 'dust-free realm' among the Milky Way's ancient celestial bodies. Why have these globular clusters remained so clean after such a long process of evolution? This is a new question for us. Scientists now speculate that many smaller but highly active members of the globular cluster 'family,' such as white dwarfs and neutron stars, are constantly radiating energy, 'blowing away' the electron 'dust' created by other stars," said Li.
Both sides expect further collaborations on pulsar mutations and interstellar turbulence, and even exploration of possible signals from extraterrestrial civilizations.
ID : 8429709
Published : 2025-05-26 12:16
Last Modified : 2025-05-26 20:28:57
Source : China Central Television (CCTV),China Global Television Network (CGTN)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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