青藏高原光学台址勘选——冷湖:一个可以承载我国光学天文未来发展的台址

he challenge faced by the field of astronomy in China had always been the the Pamir Plateau in Xinjiang). In 2016, a specific site selection for a large telescope (10meter class) was started, with a focus on three locations on the Plateau. Although not listedas a candidate site, a survey in Lenghu area for an optical site was also driven by this plan.Lenghu is situated along the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Early systematicscientific surveys conducted on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in last century indicated that theregion has ample sunlight, dry weather, very low percipitation, and clear night skies. Thedisadvantage is the wind and sand from the Qaidam Basin. Since 2018, continuous targetedmonitoring of the Lenghu site has been carried out, and continuous monitoring data of thesite quality parameters under extreme seeing conditions have been obtained. The data showsthat on the summit of Saishiten mountain in Lenghu has excellent quality, which can meetthe needs of various domestic research institutions for the construction of large optical equip#2;ments. Additionally, the geographical location in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region fills asignificant gap in the distribution of high-quality international sites in terms of geographicallongitude. Lenghu site provides a major opportunity for China to conduct research on time#2;domain scientific issues and engage in international campaigns. Based on the actual resultsof the selection and construction of the Lenghu site, this article summarizes the experienceand main scientific results of the Lenghu site and introduces the optical telescope projectsthat have been put into operation and have signed agreements to be settled in Lenghu.lack of high-quality optical observation sites. With the development of the economy and theimprovement of peoples livelihood, the optical astronomical sites established in the earlystages in the developed eastern regions of the country can hardly support the current de#2;mands of astronomical development, making this challenge increasingly severe. One of thescientific issues in planning and constructing large scientific facilities during the 13th Nation#2;al Five-Year Plan period is the selection of sites. At the beginning of the new millennium,the astronomical community in China began a strategic nationwide survey of optical astro#2;nomical sites in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region (including the western Sichuan region and