Published : 2025-04-25

On April 25, 2001, the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) was officially established.

The NAOC was formed by the consolidation and integration of the "Four Observatories, Three Stations, and One Centre" in the field of astronomy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). It has a headquarters and four directly affiliated units.

The predecessor of the NAOC was the Beijing Astronomical Observatory, with its headquarters also located in Beijing.

At the same time, it has four directly affiliated units across the country, namely Yunnan Astronomical Observatory, Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics Technology, Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, and Changchun Observatory.

In addition, the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) and Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) continue to hold the status of directly affiliated public institutions under the CAS and are also constituent units of the NAOC.

The NAOC has established eight key laboratories, including Optical Astronomy, Solar Activity, Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, Space Astronomy and Technology, Computational Astrophysics, Astronomical Optics Technology, Celestial Structure and Evolution, and the FAST Key Laboratory.

It has also established strategic partnerships with more than 20 universities, research institutions, or high-tech enterprises to set up joint research centres or laboratories .