Your ID: 0314
Last name: Zhao
First name: Yongheng

Title: LAMOST project
Author: Zhao Yongheng
Affilication: National Astronomical Observatories,Chinese Academy of Sciences,

Abstract:
LAMOST is a special reflecting Schmidt telescope used to observe ten million spectra 
of celestial objects. The telescope has an aperture of 4 meter, f-ratio 5 and a 5o field of 
view. Its optical axis is fixed and lilted in 25 o to the horizontal that runs from south to 
north. The celestial objects were observed in 1.5 hours as they passed through the meridian. 
The shape of the reflecting Schmidt plate has to be changed with each different declination 
and in the tracking process. This is achieved with active optics. It realizes a breakthrough in 
combining large aperture with wide field of view in optical telescope by using original concepts
 and ingenious design. There are 4000 optical fibers on the telescope focal surface that will lead 
to 16 spectrographs.
This project aims at the wide field astronomy and astrophysics, and seizes the valuable opportunity
 to open up the optical spectroscopic observation. This new telescope will bring Chinese astronomy
 into 21st century with a leading role in wide field spectroscopy, and in the field of large scale and 
large sample astronomy and astrophysics, whether extra-galactic or galactic.