Arecibo Telescope Collapse a Sad Day for Radio Astronomy
It is perhaps the end of an era as a landmark for radio astronomy, the 305-meter telescope at Arecibo Observatory, suffers a complete collapse. The final collapse of the massive radio telescope comes almost a month after one of its support cables snapped.
image: Jeff Hitchcock/Flickr
The Arecibo telescope is one of the largest radio telescopes in the world. Weighing in at 1.8 million pounds, Arecibo’s massive structure was suspended by cables attached to towers in the mountains of Puerto Rico.
Those outside the astronomy community may remember the telescope as it was used in the film ‘Contact’ starring Jodi Foster. The Arecibo telescope was being used in the SETI (search to extraterrestrial intelligence) program in the movie – and in real life.
The first indication of trouble came on November 6, 2020 when the first of 3 support cables broke. Engineers were on scene to evaluate the damage and develop a plan to repair the telescope. The remaining 2 cables should have been able to support the telescope while repairs were being made.
However, at only 60% of its designed breaking strength, a second cable broke. This signaled to engineers that the cables had grown very weak over time, and from hurricanes over the years. As a result, it was deemed unsafe to attempt repairs.
Staff working at the other facilities in the Arecibo Observatory were warned of the danger. Fortunately, they took the appropriate precautions to keep everyone safely away from the main telescope.
Earlier this week, at 8:55am eastern time on December 1, 2020, the structure completely collapsed. Fortunately, no one was injured but there was damage to some of the other facilities at Arecibo.
What’s next for Arecibo?
The University of Central Florida (UCF) currently operates the facility. They receive funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Together the two are working on plans to maintain other elements of the facility and make repairs to those damaged in the collapse. There are currently no plans to resurrect the 305-meter telescope however.
“We are saddened by this situation but thankful that no one was hurt,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan.
“When engineers advised NSF that the structure was unstable and presented a danger to work teams and Arecibo staff, we took their warnings seriously and continued to emphasize the importance of safety for everyone involved. Our focus is now on assessing the damage, finding ways to restore operations at other parts of the observatory, and working to continue supporting the scientific community, and the people of Puerto Rico.”
Among the facilities being repaired include the observatory’s 12-meter radio astronomy telescope, and the roof of the LIDAR facility.
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