THE SPECS
Dish diameter: 305 metres (1,000 feet)
Curvature radius: 265 metres (870 feet)
Number of panels: 38,778
Transmission power: 20TW at 2380MHz
Receiver weight: 900 tonnes
Receiver height: 150 metres (492 feet)
Official opening: 1 November 1963
Decommission order: 19 November 2020
Welcome to the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, better known as the Arecibo Observatory. The observatory’s 305-metre (1,000foot) radio telescope dish was completed in 1963, but in November 2020 it was flagged for decommissioning and eventual demolition.
Until 2016 it was the world’s largest singleaperture telescope, and it was involved in many exciting radio astronomy discoveries, as well as collecting data in an attempt to detect alien life. It appeared in many films, video games and TV shows and once boasted a visitor centre that welcomed nearly 100,000 visitors a year.
Nestled in the rainforest of Puerto Rico inside a depression left by a sinkhole, the huge dish antenna has its roots in a 1950s missile defence program. The problem was that incoming nuclear weapons could drop radar decoys as they reentered the atmosphere, making it impossible to tell which were real and which were decoys. By studying the upper levels of the atmosphere it was hoped enough knowledge could be gleaned to tell the bombs from the duds. Early in its life, the telescope also helped locate Soviet radar installations by detecting their signals bouncing off the Moon.
Denne historien er fra Issue 112-utgaven av All About Space.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Issue 112-utgaven av All About Space.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
15 AUTUMN STARGAZING TARGETS
Go on a night-sky treasure hunt as the brighter evenings give way to the cooler months
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE WHY IS VENUS SO DRY?
A new study reckons the answer lies high in the Venusian atmosphere
WHEN BLACK HOLES TURN WHITE
Can bouncing black holes help physicists find the ultimate theory of everything?
THE MOON'S THIN ATMOSPHERE IS MADE BY CONSTANT METEORITE BOMBARDMENT
While the solar wind also contributes to the atmosphere, meteorites are the main culprit
INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL AND HOW TO BECOME A SPACE TOURIST
Having explored much of the Solar System, attention is now turning to the stars beyond
NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER FINDS POSSIBLE SIGNS OF ANCIENT RED PLANET LIFE
Further analysis is needed, but a rock contains potential evidence that life once existed on Mars in the distant past
A NASA TELESCOPE MAY HAVE FOUND ANTIMATTER ANNIHILATING IN POSSIBLY THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION SINCE THE BIG BANG
The massive explosion was captured in 2022
Jameel Janjua "This is how we get to Mach 3”
Jameel Janjua made it to the bitter end in a Canadian government astronaut selection in 2009, but wasn't chosen. He found a different path to space through Virgin Galactic
BOEING NEEDS TO IMPROVE QUALITY CONTROL ON THE SLS MOON ROCKET
The NASA Inspector General's report finds serious quality-control issues affecting the upgraded version and expects cost overruns and delays
DARK ENERGY
THE MOST DOMINANT FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE IS ALSO ITS MOST MYSTERIOUS AND MOST UNANTICIPATED