Damage at Arecibo Telescope #astronomy #science

I’ve heard that a main cable that supports the Arecibo Observatory broke Friday. An auxiliary cable had failed in August, so maybe the added strain was too much. Sadly, it fell onto the reflector dish below causing additional damage to the dish and other nearby cables.

Thankfully, as far as I know, no one was hurt and engineers are working to determine the best way to stabilize the structure. No cost estimate for repairs yet.

[image error] The Arecibo Radio Telescope prior to 2020 damage

Since 1964, the site has made many discoveries: the rotational period of Mercury, existence of neutron stars and binary pulsars, the existence of pre-biotic molecules outside the Milky Way, and more.

I wish everyone at Arecibo the best of luck.

_/) ~~~~~~