Tibetannet

The Ngari region of Tibet has always been known as "the roof of the roof of the world". Chinese scientists will now study the “Big Bang” here and use the area to look for the original gravitational waves in the universe.

China’s “Ngari Research Project” will be led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ high-energy physics research institute and start at the Ngari Observatory of the National Astronomical Observatory of China. The initiative will realize the most sensitive search and detection of the original gravitational waves and test the Big Bang theory of universe formation.

Currently, the scientists are hard at work on the preliminary phases of the project and also working with American and Japanese scientists. 

Yao Yongqiang, director of the Ngari Observatory of the National Astronomical Observatory of China, said the Ngari region has great advantages in detecting the ultraviolet and submillimeter waves.

Ngari is in an ideal part of the middle latitude region, with a low level of water vapor and great transparency in atmosphere, making it the ideal site for detecting gravitational waves in the Northern Hemisphere. It has the potential to become a world-class solar observatory.

Ngari Observatory is located 30 kilometers south of the Shiquan River Town and has an altitude of 5100 meters. It is the only observatory higher than 5000 meters in the Northern Hemisphere. Ngari Observatory will finally provide a high quality observatory in the Northern Hemisphere, and add to the research from the Southern Hemisphere.