A giant radio telescope in Puerto Rico that has long played a key role in astronomical discoveries crashed Tuesday, officials said. This Arecibo Observatory, Made famous as a backdrop for the main scene James Bond The movie “GoldenEye” and other Hollywood hits have been shut down since August due to a support cable leak. 100-foot gash On a reflective dish.
Then in early November the main cable broke, with the National Science Foundation leader announcing just weeks later that he planned to shut down the radio telescope because the damage was too great.
Many scientists and Puerto Ricans mourned the news, some of which erupted during interviews. Puerto Rico meteorologist Deborah Martore Raleigh tweeted early Tuesday: “Friends, you are very sorry to learn that the Are Resibo Observatory platform has just broken down.”
It was the second largest radio telescope in the world and has been in operation for more than half a century.
Operated by the National Science Foundation at the University of Central Florida, the iconic observatory was made of fixed 1000-foot wide dish antennas, built into a bowl-like depression, reflecting radio waves from space into a 900-ton instrument platform. 450 feet above by length cables from three support towers.
University of Central Florida
For years, the observatory has played a leading role in observing deep space targets, the body of the solar system and fixed lasers, and the formation and behavior of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Prior to its collapse, the observatory withstood hurricanes and earthquakes, and played a central role in movies such as “Golden Noy” and “Contact.”
University of Central Florida
Bill Harwood contributed to this report.
.
