arecibo

It’s been two and a half years since the Arecibo Observatory’s collapse, and the future of the famous radio telescope’s site remains in limbo. Now, observatory astronomers have refined their plans for Arecibo’s successor by reducing the scope of their plans.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeThe downsizing appears to be a result of lack of funding; even before the telescope’s collapse in December 2020, the National Science Foundation was seeking to reduce its spending on the massive observatory, according to…

The destroyed dish on the day of its collapse.Photo: RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP (Getty Images)It happened in less than 10 seconds, two years ago today: The Arecibo Observatory’s 1,000-foot radio dish collapsed, eliminating one of the world’s most renowned sources of radio observations.During its 57 years in operation in northern Puerto Rico, the radio telescope discovered new exoplanets, made radar maps of other worlds in our solar system, observed fast radio bursts, and supported the hunt for intelligent life beyond…

Nearly two years ago one of the most iconic telescopes in the world came crashing down on itself. The Arecibo telescope—located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico—was the world’s largest single-dish telescope for most of its more than half-century of existence. A series of cable failures caused the telescope’s 817-metric-ton receiver platform to collapse onto the dish below on December 1, 2020, putting the telescope out of commission. Last week, the National Science Foundation (NSF)—which owns and finances the Arecibo…

The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, for decades the home of the world’s largest radio telescope, will be an astronomical observatory no more. The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) last week said it intends to transform the facility, which suffered fatal damage to its massive dish in 2020, into a center for education and outreach in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). According to an NSF spokesperson, the transition “allows the community to…

The destroyed Arecibo Observatory dish.Photo: Ricardo ARDUENGO / AFP (Getty Images)The National Science Foundation announced this week that the site of the destroyed Arecibo Observatory radio telescope in Puerto Rico will become a STEM-focused educational center, and it’s seeking proposals to manage the new project.According to an NSF release, the center will expand on existing educational programs at the Arecibo Observatory and would open in 2023.The decision is a big step towardmoving beyond the Arecibo radio…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) won’t rebuild the massive Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico following its collapse in late 2020. The agency instead plans to build an education center focused on STEM education and outreach, according to an NSF announcement. The Arecibo Observatory was an important tool for deep-space observation and featured in films such as Contact and GoldenEye. But in August 2020, an auxiliary cable fell, with another cable failing in November. The NSF feared that others might have followed,…

Astronomers have long thought that it takes millions of years for a star like our Sun to form completely. But recent observations via the world's largest radio telescope FAST are casting doubt on this long-held belief. The new study has revealed that stars could form much faster than previously thought. Scientists studied the magnetic field inside a molecular cloud 450 light-years away from Earth, located in the Taurus constellation. They chose the cloud named Lynds 1544 as it appeared on the brink of producing a star.…