Main structure of under-construction mega radio telescope capped in Xinjiang

The main structure of a mega fully steerable radio telescope was capped in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Sunday, marking another step forward in the construction of the major scientific research infrastructure project in the country.

Located in the foothills of the Tianahan Mountains in Qitai County, the telescope will feature a single dish measuring 110 meters in diameter and weigh more than 6,000 tons. The fully steerable dish will allow the telescope to observe 75 percent of celestial bodies in the sky.

Construction on the 110-meter-diameter telescope started in September 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2028.

The next phase of the construction will involve equipment installation and system testing.

China is also building another fully steerable radio telescope with a diameter of 120 meters, so far the world's largest, in northeast China's Jilin Province.

The Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, the United States, currently holds the title as the world's largest operational fully steerable radio telescope, with its dish measuring 100 meters by 110 meters.

Compared with fixed radio telescopes of the same size, fully steerable radio telescopes can observe a larger part of the sky.

An Oriental darter, a globally near-threatened species, has been spotted for the first time in Hainan, south China's island province, according to the provincial bird records agency.

At Changjiang Haiwei National Wetland Park, a relatively large Oriental darter was recently spotted atop a tree canopy. The bird has a brown head and neck, with a distinctive white stripe running from its chin down the neck. The rest of its feather appeared in darker shades.

The Oriental darter, a cormorant-like waterbird with a long neck, is primarily a fish hunter found in freshwater lakes and rivers. Listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, it's now extremely rare in China.