On December 1st, 2020, it was announced that the telescope at the Arecibo Observatory collapsed completely. The Arecibo Observatory, based in Puerto Rico, had one of the world’s largest single-dish radio telescopes with a diameter of 305 meters (1,000 feet) and was a leading contributor to a range of astronomy-related sciences. The telescope had partially collapsed in early November 2020 after a main cable snapped, leading the National Science Foundation to announce plans to decommission and disassemble the telescope, and it is now clear with the most recent collapse that the telescope is far beyond any hope of repair. Luckily, no injuries have been reported due to the collapse, but it’s still a major blow to the scientific community. I posted a few interesting articles on the Arecibo’s recent collapse down bellow, but I first wanted to take the time to recognize and appreciate its accomplishments for the past 57 years since its establishment in 1963.
The Arecibo telescope was used in everything from radio and radar astronomy to atmospheric and planetary sciences. Here is a link to a page on the Arecibo Observatory’s website with a timeline of Arecibo’s greatest accomplishments (and there are far more accomplishments not included in this list; you’ll probably find quite a few astrophysicists and astronomers that have used data from its archives in their research): arecibo accomplishments (naic.edu)
From establishing Mercury’s rotation rate and detecting the first binary pulsar and exoplanet to sending out the “Hello” message (Arecibo Message | SETI Institute) and appearing in pop culture (James Bond GoldenEye and the movie Contact to name a few), this telescope was a major contributor to a variety of fields and disciplines.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Arecibo Observatory, I highly recommend checking out the bottom link that I posted, the Arecibo Observatory’s website. Under the Science tab, you can find research Arecibo has contributed to in various fields of astronomy, atmospheric sciences, and planetary sciences.
Arecibo Observatory Telescope Collapses, Ending An Era Of World-Class Research : NPR
Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico collapses ahead of planned demolition – CNN
NEW Grid | The Arecibo Observatory (naic.edu)
Author: Amélie Sharples
! Update ! : The governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez Garced, signed an executive order to allocate $8 million to rebuild the Arecibo Telescope!
More information on this site: 8 million approved to rebuild the Arecibo Observatory Telescope – El Nuevo Día (elnuevodia.com)