Meet the Chinese Space Station Telescope — China’s Own Hubble - The Cosmic Companion April 23, 2021
Xuntian - The Heavenly Cruiser - will give astronomers a new Hubble-class instrument orbiting Earth. Best of all, it has its own space station!
The Chinese Space Station Telescope will provide the Middle Kingdom with a Hubble-class view of the heavens
An artist’s concept of the CSST. Image credit: CNSA
Commonly known as the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST), Xuntian (Heavenly Cruiser) is readying to become China’s first major telescope in space. Unlike previous space telescopes such as Hubble, this orbiting observatory, due for launch in 2024, will be orbiting alongside the Chinese large modular space station, able to dock with the outpost when needed.
One of the most-important characteristics of a telescope is its diameter — which limits how much light it can take in at a single time. The main mirror in Xuntian will have a diameter around two meters (six-and-a-half feet) across, roughly the size of the mirror at the heart of the Hubble Space Telescope. However, the CSST will be able to see 300 times as much sky at one time as its older compatriot.
Read more: https://thecosmiccompanion.net/meet-the-chinese-space-station-telescope-chinas-own-hubble
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