There is a neat article in the April 2013 issue of Popular Science detailing China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), baselined at a cost of 122-million dollars. The telescope will primarily be used by radio astronomers to study galactic structures. The telescope’s advantage is the location in a remote area. Built into a depression left behind by a collapsed sub-surface cave, there will be less radio interference when collecting data. Coolest part: small panels on the surface are mobile, allowing the telescope to aim in specific locations!

FAST is slated for use in 2016 in the Guizhou province of China. Check out the full story in the latest Pop Sci issue or another 2011 article online here: The Largest Telescope Dish