The rare occasion of Mars' closest pass to earth at the end of
this month has left the people in China contemplate their distance
from the rest of the world in astronomy research.
The occasion, astronomers said, was as a touchstone of the
Chinese people's science awareness. Many astronomy fans in the
country joined their foreign peers from Aug. 27 to 29 to celebrate
the Red Planet's mere separation of 55.6 million kilometers from
earth, and experts said their enthusiasm indicated that Chinese
people's eyes are no longer fixed only on their daily
necessities.
Planetariums and astronomical organizations in China organized
various activities for astronomy fans to observe the occasion,
which has not taken place for 60,000 years.
In Beijing and Shanghai, residents, old and young, took to
observatories and open suburban areas to observe the planet under
the guidance of astronomers from local observatories.
Stargazers in Nanjing City, capital of Jiangsu
Province in east China, were provided an optical telescope by
the observatory on Zijinshan,
or the Purple Mountain, to catch a good sight of Mars.
Lectures on Mars were also given by astronomers and veteran
astronomy fans around the country, whose audiences were mostly made
up of primary and high school students.
Prof. Zhang Mingchang, former secretary general of the Jiangsu
Astronomical Academy, said that he has never before had audiences
so interested in Mars and astronomy.
Astronomical telescopes and publications on the subject have
also become parents' choice for gifts to their children.
Despite the growing enthusiasm, some experts acknowledged, the
country still lags behind the world in astronomy research. The
observatories and astronomical facilities cannot meet the research
demands. What's more, they noted, China is in great need of
astronomers.
Though Sanya, capital of the island province of Hainan in South
China, boasted the most favorable observation location in the
country and drew hundreds of astronomers and amateurs Wednesday
night, the province still does not have its own astronomy research
institutions.
The world witnessed a new round of competition in Mars
exploration this year when the European Space Agency (ESA) and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United
States successively sent Mars Express and a pair of Mars
Exploration Rovers -- Spirit and Opportunity -- into space to
collect more information and data for their Mars exploration
plans.
However, China has not taken part in the competition.
The Chinese nation is, however, taking steps with its own
moon-landing plan and plans for preliminary research on Mars
exploration.
Though Westerners in the past had a keen interest in finding
Martians, Xinhe, a well-known science fiction writer in China,
observes that Chinese people seem to be more interested in the
moon. In China, a popular legend about Chang'e, or the beautiful
and graceful Goddess flying to the Moon, has been passed down from
generation to generation.
"The different interests might be a result of cultural diversity
or different locations in observation," the writer says.
"But the emerging interest Chinese people have shown in Mars, I
think, is somewhat an indication that Chinese people are looking
much farther than before," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2003)