作者： admin

China’s National Astronomical Observatories has unveiled a monumental astronomical dataset from its Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST), distributing over 30 million celestial spectra to researchers worldwide. The newly released DR13 dataset, covering observations from 2011 through June 2025, represents the most extensive spectral survey ever conducted, solidifying China’s position at the forefront of astronomical research.

The comprehensive data release includes approximately 13.47 million low-resolution spectra and 17.35 million medium-resolution spectra, accompanied by a stellar parameter catalog containing nearly 12.94 million entries. This unprecedented collection continues LAMOST’s reign as the world’s leading spectral survey project in both data volume and stellar parameter scale.

Since becoming operational as China’s first major national scientific infrastructure in astronomy, LAMOST has revolutionized large-scale spectroscopic sky surveys. The telescope’s pioneering design has enabled 14 years of efficient and stable operation, during which it has transformed our understanding of the Milky Way’s structure and evolution.

The scientific impact of LAMOST’s data is demonstrated by its widespread adoption across the global astronomy community. Researchers from 278 institutions worldwide, including significant participation from the United States, Germany, Belgium, and Denmark, have utilized the telescope’s data to produce more than 2,200 high-quality research publications. Recent years have seen particularly robust output, with over 300 annual publications—more than 40 percent authored by international astronomers—placing LAMOST’s scientific productivity among the world’s elite 6-to-10-meter class telescopes.

Beyond galactic studies, LAMOST’s spectra have facilitated groundbreaking discoveries across multiple astronomical domains, including the identification of compact objects, advances in stellar physics, exoplanet detection, and quasar research. This latest data release promises to further accelerate astronomical discovery and international collaboration in the coming years.

A groundbreaking discovery by a Chinese-led international research team has unraveled a long-standing cosmic mystery through the first direct detection of negative hydrogen ions on the lunar surface. The findings, captured by specialized instrumentation aboard China’s Chang’e 6 lunar lander, reveal how solar wind interactions generate these elusive particles on airless celestial bodies.

The research team employed the Negative Ions at the Lunar Surface (NILS) detector, a pioneering instrument co-developed by the Swedish Institute of Space Physics and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. During its operational window, the instrument recorded six distinct energy signatures of negative hydrogen ions over a 48-hour period, marking the first direct measurement of such particles on another planetary body.

Negative ions—atoms or molecules that have gained extra electrons—represent a crucial component of universal plasma but have remained notoriously difficult to study due to their fragility. Solar radiation typically strips away their additional electrons almost immediately, making remote detection virtually impossible.

The investigation confirmed these ions form through a scattering process where solar wind particles collide with lunar regolith and rebound, capturing electrons from the soil in the process. By cross-referencing data with the European Space Agency’s Artemis satellites, researchers established a direct correlation between solar wind intensity and negative ion production rates.

Simulations revealed dramatically different behaviors between the moon’s illuminated and dark sides. On the sunlit surface, ions survive mere moments within an extremely thin surface layer, while on the night side, they persist significantly longer, being carried by electromagnetic fields to form a massive tail extending thousands of kilometers behind the moon.

This discovery provides critical insights into space weathering—the gradual physical and chemical alteration of celestial surfaces by the space environment. The researchers suggest these ions may contribute to lunar water formation and help maintain the moon’s tenuous exosphere, with ion density surging over 1,000% during periods of intense solar activity.

The findings establish a new framework for studying similar phenomena on other airless solar system bodies, including asteroids and planetary moons, advancing our understanding of universal plasma behavior and celestial evolution.