A visitor looks at displays at the Pingtang International Experience Planetarium in Guizhou Province. (Photo : Getty Images)
The country's National Astronomical Observation (NAO) and Alibaba Group have partnered to establish an astronomy research center using big data, the state agency announced on Thursday, Oct. 13.
The Xinhua News Agency said that the research center will feature an online database of astronomical information, with a virtual space observatory that will allow users to explore the cosmos.
The report said that the center will also enable users to conduct scientific research through cloud computing to be provided by Aliyun, Alibaba's cloud computing unit.
According to Yan Jun, head of NAO, data science was one of the first disciplines to be used in astronomy. Through big data, new opportunities for astronomical research have been opened. Yan however, added that they were also confronted with some challenges, especially in the area of data collection, storage, processing, transportation, analysis, and sharing of information.
The report said that the volume of data collected through astronomical observation is expected to reach 250 trillion bytes a year.
It is expected that NAO's partnership with Aliyun, which specializes in AI and big-scale computingwould help enhance and upgrade the country's capability in astronomical research.
According to the report, the virtual space observatory will use the data collected by scientists through the large sky area multi-object fibre spectroscopic telescope (LAMOST), also known as Guo Shoujing Telescope.
LAMOST, the country's major optical telescope project, started its operation in 2008 to collect high quality spectra, an important collection of data that provide astronomers with essential information on celestial bodies' atmosphere, chemical composition, density and magnetism.
Last month, China launched the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), which it said is the world's largest and most sensitive radio telescope, in Guizhou Province.
President Xi Jinping said that FAST launching is significant to the country's goal to achieve major breakthrough in scientific research as well as help innovation-driven growth and propel the country to become a global science power.
FAST's tasks include survey of neutral hydrogen in the space, observation of pulsars as well as spacecraft tracking and communications.
