China begins putting together radio telescope

China has started assembling the world's largest radio telescope, which will have a dish the size of 30 soccer fields when completed, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The 500-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope, known as FAST, sits in a bowl-shaped valley between hills in the southwestern province of Guizhou, images posted online show.

Technicians began attaching 4,450 triangular panels to the telescope's reflector on Thursday, Xinhua said.