Observatorio de Arecibo is known as National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC) and previously named Arecibo Observatory. It is an observatory located in Barrio Esperanza, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, owned by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).
The main instrument of the observatory consisted of the Arecibo Telescope, which was 305 meters (1,000 feet) reflecting a spherical dish. This was built into a natural sinkhole equipped with a steerable cable mount receiver and numerous radar transmitters that emit signals that were positioned 150 meters (492 feet) in the air of the dish. It was completed in 1963 and was the world’s biggest single-aperture telescope for 53 years. It was eclipsed on July 16, 2016, by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) located in China.
Due to two cables that were supporting the receiver platform during the previous months, the NSF announced on November 19, 2020, that it was dismantling the telescope due to security issues. On December 1, 2020, the main telescope fell apart before controlled destruction was able to take place. NASA conducted an extensive investigation and published the results in the Reference “Arecibo Observatory Auxiliary M4N Socket Termination Failure Investigation”.
The observatory also houses smaller radio telescopes, a LIDAR facility, and a visitor centre.
Observatorio de Arecibo Contact Details
Address: PR-625, Arecibo, 00612, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17878782612
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