China plans to open the 500-meter-wide Sky Eye spherical radio telescope to the global scientific community from April 1, according to China's Global Times.
The parabola dish called Tianyan is the world's largest spherical radio telescope.
Sky Eye is used to monitor pulsating stars and other astronomical targets, and is sometimes used to search for space civilizations.
Foreign scientists can apply to China's national astronomical observatories online, according to China's Xinhua News Agency.
After the review, observation times are set from August 1, and about 10 percent of observation times are allocated to global astronomers this year, according to sky eye's chief engineer.
Construction was completed in 2016 and the telescope was officially put into service on January 11, 2020, however, observations began well earlier and have so far depicted 240 pulsating stars as of November.
One of the most important pulsating stars in the Messier 92 star cluster, called the Milliseconds Pulsating Star, is found to rotate much faster than normal pulsating stars at a rate of 316.5 rpm (18,990 rpm), while absorbing and exiting matter from its accompanying star.
The reports said that its reflective surface is equivalent to the size of about 30 standard football pitches, which is so large that it can absorb enough water to fill a bottle per person four times.
The large size of the telescope means that it can intercept signals missed by other radio telescopes, including radio waves from aliens.
China's Sky Eye is the world's largest single-plate spherical radio telescope that can perform specific types of observations, such as cosmic wave observations.
China is now the only country in the world to operate a giant telescope after the 305-metre-wide Arecibo Radio Observatory telescope in Puerto Rico collapsed as a result of hurricanes and failure to maintain it properly.
The U.S. National Science Foundation said it would demolish the Arecibo telescope, but there was a glimmer of hope for its rebuilding after Puerto Rico pledged $8 million in aid.
Scientific cooperation between China and the West, particularly the United States, has been hampered by political tensions between the two sides in recent years, and some Chinese astronomers hope the telescope will become a new platform for international cooperation.
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