How China is working to turn Saishiteng Mountain into the world’s largest astronomy base

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China is constructing some of the earth's most powerful optical telescopes at Saishiteng Mountain on the Tibetan plateau, aiming to establish the world’s largest astronomy base by the mid-2030s. The project involves installing telescopes ranging from 6.5 to 14.5 meters in diameter to advance astronomical research.

Construction on the Tibetan plateau of some of the Earth’s most powerful optical telescopes is putting China on track to house the world’s biggest astronomy base by the mid-2030s, according to project scientists. Deng Licai, lead scientist for site planning at the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) in Beijing, said the telescopes at Saishiteng Mountain in northwestern Qinghai province would stretch between 6.5 metres (21.3 feet) and 14.5 metres across, and partner with dozens of...