Sun Yat-sen U to bring astronomy to Zhuhai mountain

An astronomy-themed park along the way to the range-finding station atop South Fenghuang Mt will be built and open to the public in 2020, according to an announcement from Sun Yat-sen University Zhuhai Campus.

An accompanying high-grade education base will also be constructed to bring sophisticated astronomical knowledge to the general public.

The pathway and the station are part of the Tianqin, China's domestic gravitational wave research project, which is well under way in Zhuhai with 40 percent of ground infrastructure completed. The university campus initiated the program.

Tianqin encompasses a mountain road, cave laboratory, and laser range-finding test station. Construction of the 7-km zigzag road which links the Tangjiawan university campus with major project facilities at the peak commenced two years ago and is expected to be finished by next April. Along the route will be a 10,000-sq-m observatory or viewing platform.

Mountain road of Tianqin Project

The 5,800-sq-m laser range-finding test station will eventually cover 10,000 sq m to accommodate corresponding devices.

According to a project head, the grand undertaking has an estimated cost of 15 billion yuan ($2.3 billion) and is being carried out in four stages over 15 to 20 years. A total of three satellites will be sent in search of gravitational waves and other cosmic phenomena.

Mountaintop laser range-finding test station [Photos courtesy Zhuhai Daily]

Sun Dongbai, managing vice president of Sun Yat-sen University, has high hopes for the project, saying it will not only support future exploration of gravitational waves but will also boost high-tech industrial development in Zhuhai.