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About

Xiangyan Yuan is a pioneering figure in Antarctic astronomy, whose work has established Dome A—the highest point on the Antarctic plateau—as a premier site for optical sky surveys. His primary research areas include the development and operation of robotic telescopes in extreme environments, time-domain astronomy, and exoplanet transit detection. Yuan’s major contributions began with the Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR), which produced the first point-source catalog from Dome A (2010, 40 citations), demonstrating the feasibility of high-quality photometry under the continent’s harsh conditions. He later led the AST3 telescope program, achieving remote and robotic operation for time-domain surveys (2016, 6 citations), and designed the Bright Star Survey Telescope specifically for planetary transit searches (2016, 11 citations). These instruments have enabled long-duration, uninterrupted observations impossible at lower latitudes, yielding critical data on variable stars and exoplanets. Yuan’s work has not only advanced Antarctic site testing but also proven that unattended, real-time telescope operation is viable in the world’s most challenging climate, cementing his legacy as a key architect of China’s Antarctic astronomical infrastructure.