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The reflector dish of the Arecibo Observatory was damaged by a broken cable.
University of Central Florida
It is a sad day for the world of astronomy. Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory, home to an epic telescopic antenna, says goodbye. The observatory suffered serious structural damage when a cable broke in August, and the situation only got worse.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) said Thursday it will begin decommissioning the 305-meter (1,000-foot) telescope, ending the device’s 57-year service.
The move comes after NSF assessed several assessments by independent engineering companies that found the telescope’s structure was in danger of catastrophic failure and that its cables may no longer be able to support the loads they were designed for. “the NSF said in a statement.
A massive gash in the parabola of the Arecibo Observatory is visible in this image from November 2020.
University of Central Florida
A second cable failed in early November. This was a main cable and it broke and fell into the reflector dish, damaging both the dish and other cables nearby. The cables were designed to support a 900 ton platform suspended 450 feet above the antenna.
“Each of the remaining cables in the structure are now supporting more weight than before, increasing the likelihood of another cable failure, which would likely cause the entire structure to collapse,” the University of Central Florida said in a press release on November 13. UCF manages the facility for the National Science Foundation.
The observatory was the backdrop for a dramatic fight scene in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye starring Pierce Brosnan. He also appeared in Jodie Foster’s 1997 film Contact. But Arecibo’s true legacy lies in the many scientific discoveries he made possible. He explored pulsars, broadened our knowledge of Mercury, spotted exoplanets, and found rapid radio bursts.
Scientists took to Twitter to mourn the observatory. “It’s a huge scientific boost. The end of an era”, said planetary scientist Tanya Harrison.
It’s a huge scientific punch. The end of an era. ?
I’ll definitely drop one for Arecibo by watching Contact tomorrow night in memorium.https: //t.co/KWs1AOPzCl
– Dr. Tanya Harrison (@tanyaofmars) November 19, 2020
Field geophysicist Mika McKinnon tweeted, “I’m stunned that we’re losing Arecibo. Even if you don’t pay much attention to Earth astronomy, you know this telescope from pop culture and movies. It’s somewhere special.”
I am amazed that we are losing Arecibo.
Even if you don’t pay much attention to ground-based astronomy, you know this telescope from pop culture and movies. It is a special place. https://t.co/hNYFKI4lcg
– Mika McKinnon (@mikamckinnon) November 19, 2020
The NSF decommissioning plan will focus on the telescope while attempting to preserve the surrounding observation structures. “When all the necessary preparations have been made, the telescope will be subject to controlled dismantling,” the foundation said.
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