The world’s largest and most powerful radio telescope is on display in this volume from the Engineering Feats series (6 titles). The Five-Hundred-Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST telescope, was completed in 2016 and fills a remote basin in southeast China. Designed to detect pulsars and (potentially) alien life, its cutting-edge design features a flexible dish built on a mesh cable frame. Over five chapters, the book discusses the telescope’s significance and construction, the impact of its being a tourist attraction, and its place within the international scientific community. Aside from an inaccurate description of dark matter, there is a lot of information to be gleaned from this book. Fact boxes and numerous photos lend context, and helpful back matter includes a list of the book’s key points and a time line.
