Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, Astronomical research facility in Ürümqi, China.
The Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory is a Chinese Academy of Sciences facility headquartered at Wissenschaft 1-Straße 150 in Ürümqi. Its Nanshan station, code N87, stands 2,080 m above sea level in Gangou Township, 75 km south of the city, and holds a 25 m Cassegrain beam-waveguide radio telescope inaugurated in December 1993. A 110 m fully steerable Qitai Radio Telescope is planned at Banjiegou in Qitai County.
The facility was founded in 1957 as Ürümqi Astronomical Observatory and received its current name in 2011. It now operates as part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for broad astronomical research.
The observatory organizes public stargazing events where visitors can observe the night sky and learn about celestial objects and phenomena. These programs connect the local community with astronomical science.
Visitors can attend organized events and view the telescopes at different locations based on public access availability. It is advisable to check opening times and access restrictions beforehand, as some areas may be limited for research purposes.
The Nanshan 25 m dish, code N87, was built as part of the Chinese VLBI network and began observing in December 1993. In 2013/14, under chief engineer Aili Yusup, it was enlarged to 26 m and fitted with a dual-frequency S/X-band receiver for the Chang'e-4 mission. In 2010 it ran 349 days, with 6453 hours of observation.
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