Observatory searches for gamma rays

"Compared to the other domestic observatory intended to capture high-energy gamma rays, known as the ARGO-YBJ International Observatory in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the new observatory's sensitivity will surpass that by 56 times when it's fully complete," Cao said.

The origin of cosmic rays has puzzled scientists for a century, and cracking this mystery by capturing and analyzing high-energy gamma rays, believed to be produced alongside cosmic rays, has emerged as a viable and promising method in recent years.

Benedetto D'Ettorre Piazzoli, former vice-president of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics in Italy, said the observatory's dense detector arrays, coupled with effective calibration and control, will yield revealing data.

"The energy ranges these different detectors are capable of spotting will overlap in such a way that would help scientists to better calibrate and gain more accurate data," he said. "It's a key merit of this observatory."

Masahiro Teshima, director of the Max Planck Institute of Physics in Munich, Germany, also said accuracy is the lifeblood of studies in physics. "Given the Cherenkov Detector Array's capability to measure precisely the gamma rays of very high energy from the universe, the massive data will complement experiments and research on gamma rays in other parts of the world."