Beijing Astronomical Observatory

Beijing Astronomical Observatory (BAO) is a Chinese Academy of Sciences facility whose main optical and infrared work happens at Xinglong Station, a mountain site in Hebei province about 150 kilometres northeast of Beijing.

About Beijing Astronomical Observatory

Founded in 1958, BAO is administered by the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) and comprises five observing stations across the country. Its principal optical and infrared site, Xinglong Station, sits at roughly 960 metres above sea level in Xinglong County, Chengde, and has grown into the largest observing site in Asia, housing nine telescopes with apertures over 50 centimetres.

History

BAO was established in 1958 in Beijing's Chaoyang District as part of the newly organised Chinese Academy of Sciences. As light pollution grew around the capital, observing work shifted to purpose-built stations outside the city, with Xinglong opening in 1968 to take over the bulk of optical and infrared research.

Telescopes & research

Xinglong Station's flagship instrument is LAMOST, a 2.16-metre reflector-class telescope also known as the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope, alongside smaller reflectors including the NAOC-Beijing Normal University Telescope and a Schmidt telescope used for wide-field surveys. LAMOST is one of the highest-throughput spectroscopic survey telescopes in the world and has helped researchers there earn national science and technology awards.

Location & getting there

The observing site lies in the hills of Hebei province, at an elevation of about 960 metres, roughly 150 kilometres northeast of central Beijing. The rural, elevated setting gives darker skies than the capital, which is part of why NAOC relocated its main instruments there.

Visiting Beijing Astronomical Observatory

Xinglong Station periodically welcomes visiting researchers and organised groups, but it is a working scientific facility rather than a tourist attraction, so check with NAOC or the observatory's official site before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

Because any point in the sky can be located by its coordinates, an astronomer at a station like this can aim a telescope at the exact right ascension and declination of a star named through star-register.eu. Browse our star catalogue or explore naming packages to find and view your own star.