Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences Xiaoyu Hong Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200030, China E-mail: [email protected] 1. HISTORY SHAO also has a variety of Guest Shanghai Astronomical Observatory Programs which attract accomplished (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of scientists from all over the world. Sciences (CAS) [Fig. 1], was established in 1962 following the amalgamation The first director of the SHAO was of the former Xu Jiahui and Sheshan Professor Han Li who served from 1962 observatories, which were founded by to 1981. His successor, Professor Shuhua the French Mission Catholique in 1872 Ye held the office until 1993. During 1993- and 1900, respectively. Both came under 2003, Professor Junliang Zhao directed the the Chinese government jurisdiction in SHAO, and later succeeded by Professor Xiaoyu Hong 1950. Xinhao Liao for 2 years as a deputy direc- tor. The present director, Professor Xiaoyu A 40 cm double astrograph was built Hong took office in 2005. Science Fund for Distinguished Young in 1900 on top of Sheshan hill, located Scholars and 3 more won the overseas 40 km to the west of Shanghai down- 2. STATUS projects. town which was the largest telescope in The headquarters of SHAO is located at East Asia at that time. It is one of a few Xu Jiahui district of the south west corner In addition, SHAO initiated the post- telescopes in the world that observed of Shanghai city. The observational site doctoral program since 1995, and has a Halley’s comet both in 1910 and 1986. is in She Shan. The Xu Jiahui section substantial mobile research group for post In the 1980s, SHAO built a 25 m radio consists of an Astronomical Mansion doctors. In 2006, SHAO has established a telescope [Fig. 2], used as a station for of 19 floors, a laboratory building of 11 new joint postdoctoral program with Max the VLBI (Very Long Baseline Inter- floors and a 7 floors apartment building Plank Institution for Astrophysics (MPA, ferometry) network; a 1.56 m optical for graduate students, post-doctors and Germany), aims at attracting the top level telescope [Fig. 3]; and a 60 cm satellite visitors. Sufficient facilities are available, Ph.D. candidates from all over the world laser-ranging system. These three facili- including Computer Center, Library, Lec- for their post doctor research in SHAO. ties are still in frequent usage today for ture Halls, Seminar Rooms, Classrooms, At present, there are 22 post doctoral and various research in the field of astrophys- Discussion rooms etc. visiting scientists working with staff in ics, astrometry, geodynamics, satellite SHAO. positioning. 2.1. Faculty Researchers SHAO currently has more than 200 staff, 2.2. Organization, Research Fields In 1998, SHAO became one of the including 151 scientific and technical At present, SHAO has four research first institutions selected to implement personnel, one academician of Chinese departments: Shanghai Center for Astro- the Pilot Program of CAS Knowledge Academy of Sciences (CAS) and one geodynamics Research (SCAR), Center Innovation Project. Since then, SHAO academician of Chinese Academy of for Galaxy and Cosmology (CGC), Divi- has established several new research pro- Technology (CAT). Among them, 38 sion of Very Long Baseline Interferometry grams both in basic and applied sciences, are senior staff and 36 are associated (VLBI), and Division of High Technology such as the MPA-CAS partner groups, researchers. Since 1997, totally 9 distin- Laboratories. Key Lab in Galaxies and Cosmology of guished young research professors have CAS, Asia-Pacific Space Geodynamics been recruited from domestic and over- The SCAR engages in measurement Program (APSG) and Shanghai Key sea under the “Program of One Hundred and analysis of the plate movement of Laboratory of Space Navigation and Posi- Talents” of CAS. And by now, there are the Earth, and researches into their dy- tion Techniques. 4 young talents have won the National namical mechanisms, using astronomical AAPPS Bulletin April 2009, Vol. 19, No. 2 27 Astronomy in Mainland China data. In particular, modern space geodesy techniques are used. The research topics include the rotational and orbital motions of the Earth, as well as the mass motions of the Earth’s spheres, such as the atmo- sphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, mantle, and core. Researchers in SCAR are also deeply involved in studies of mechanisms by which the Earth’s rotation varies, and interactions between the motions of the various spheres. The CGC was formerly the depart- ment of astrophysics, evolved from the originally second division of SHAO. During the past decades, the astrophysi- cal research in SHAO expanded quickly by attracting active young astronomers Fig. 1: The headquarters of SHAO in Xujiahui, Shanghai. from all over the world. The current main research fields include star clusters and the Galactic structure; formation and evolu- tion of galaxies, large scale structure of the universe, AGN, high energy astrophysics, theory of black hole accretion and X-ray binaries. The research approaches within CGC cover from theoretical studies to observations in which numerical simula- tions and observations in radio and X-ray play a crucial role. The VLBI division, consisting of the Sheshan VLBI station and the VLBI laboratory, manages the Chinese VLBI Network (CVN) of the National Astro- nomical Observatories of China (NAOC), which consists of four VLBI stations in Fig. 2: The 25 m radio telescope in Sheshan. Shanghai, Urumqi, Beijing and Kun- ming; and a VLBI data processing center in SHAO. The VLBI system joins the navigation of the Chinese Lunar project ‘Chang E-1.’ Division of High Technology Labora- toires is composed by two parts: the time and frequency research center, and the as- tronomical optical instrumentation group. In the former research center, engineers are investigating high accuracy hydrogen masers and their applications. In the later group, scientists are designing various equipments used for astronomical obser- vations of SHAO. At present the group Fig. 3: The 1.56 m optical telescope in Sheshan. is also involved in the study of a Fizeau 28 AAPPS Bulletin April 2009, Vol. 19, No. 2 Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences type interferometer for future large optical (MPA) in SHAO was founded in 2000 • SHAO astronomers established a large telescope in China. through an exchange program between scale N-body cosmological simulation the CAS and the Max Planck Society for program. The results show that pure 2.3. Facilities and Key Laboratories the Advancement of Sciences (MPG). N-body simulations may not suffice Currently, SHAO is equipped with 25 And in 2006, the second similar partner to accurately predict the lensing signal m radio telescope, 1.56 m reflector, 60 group started. The 25 m radio telescope is on small scales where cooling of the cm satellite laser ranging system (SLR), the member of European VLBI Network baryons starts to play a significant role GPS receiver and hydrogen atomic time (EVN). It also participates the Interna- and must be considered. This result has and frequency system. A new 65 m radio tional VLBI Services for Astrometry and been reported by the ESA-ESO working telescope is under construction in She Geodesy (IVS), the VLBI Space Observa- group for fundamental cosmology in the Shan station, which will be the largest fully tory Program (VSOP), the Asia-Pacific next decade. steerable radio telescope in China and shall Space Geodynamics Program (APSG), as play important role in radio astronomy and well as observations related to aerospace • A new general theory was developed for China’s deep space exploration. navigation. SHAO is also the secretariat the gravitational potential and Earth’s of the Asia and Pacific regional Space and internal structure that solves the 1% Numerical simulation has been one of Geodetic project (APSG). The SLR station problem of the global dynamical flat- the most important tools of astronomical of SHAO has taken part in international tening. A new atmospheric angular mo- research in SHAO. Presently, SHAO has a cooperation program such as WPLTN, mentum series was obtained and adopted number of high performance computation- DOSE, etc. by IERS. al facilities, including a SGI Altix 4700, Altix 350, IBM Linux Cluster. Altix 4700 Every year, a large number of faculty • In 2007, a state fundamental research and IBM Cluster have 64 and 112CPUs, members and students visit foreign institu- project (973) lead by SHAO scientist respectively. SHAO also runs more than tions and observatories, attend internation- started. And SHAO astronomers have 40 servers, 200 PCs, all are linked through al conferences and schools, and observe played the leading role in the scientific network. The total capabilities of computa- astrophysical sources by using advanced objective of LAMOST project. tion exceed 10,000 billions. astronomical facilities. Meanwhile, many outstanding scholars from abroad are in- 3. OUTLOOK Two Key Laboratories have been estab- vited to work or lecture in SHAO. Astronomy and astrophysics have deep lished in 2008. One is the Key Laboratory roots in virtually every human culture. in Galaxies and Cosmology of the CAS, 2.6. Important Scientific Progresses They help us to understand our place in the other is the Shanghai Key Labora- A number of key scientific progresses have the vast scale of the Universe and teach tory of Space Navigation and Position been achieved by researchers in SHAO us about our origins and evolution. Great Techniques. during the past years. Below is just some achievements have been made during the of them: past. While there are still fundamental 2.4. Graduate Education questions need to be addressed. SHAO Authorized by the Ministry of Education • In the study of the planetary fluid dy- will continuously play its own role in in 1998, as the first institution in China, namics, the Earth’s nutation and polar driving the progress in astronomy.