This Thursday the National Science Foundation of the United States (NSF) released videos of the moment when the main platform of the Arecibo Observatory In Puerto Rico.
It is the telescope used by astronomers around the world that made it possible to discover the first planets in orbit around stars other than the Sun.
In the images it can be seen that two of the cables pulled from a concrete tower to support the telescope they break.
Destabilized, the structure falls a few seconds later and pierces part of the satellite dish.
The assembly was already weakened by the breakage of cables in one of the support towers on August 10 and November 6.
The telescope was then considered too unstable and irreparable, and the NSF made the decision to demolish the structure, which was not achieved after its collapse.
“The platform collapsed in an unplanned way”NSF spokesman Rob Margetta told AFP after the collapse last Tuesday.
While the Arecibo station will remain open, it is not yet known if the telescope will be replaced.
