[ad_1]
3 December 2020 11:34:46
The collapsed radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Tuesday 1 December 2020 (photo AP / PTI)
Puerto Rico’s massive Arecibo telescope, famous for its stellar contributions to astronomy, collapsed on Tuesday, leaving many in the scientific community in shock and anguish. The collapse was also devastating for many Puerto Ricans, for whom the observatory was culturally significant.
The US National Science Foundation, owner of the telescope, tweeted: “The instrument platform of the 305m telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico fell overnight. No injuries were reported. NSF is working with stakeholders to assess the situation. Our top priority is to maintain security. NSF will release further details when confirmed. “
The instrument platform of the 305m telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico fell overnight. No injuries were reported. NSF is working with stakeholders to assess the situation. Our top priority is to maintain security. NSF will release further details when confirmed. pic.twitter.com/Xjbb9hPUgD
– National Science Foundation (@NSF) December 1, 2020
The telescope was popularized outside the scientific community by the 1995 James Bond film “GoldenEye”, starring Pierce Brosnan, and Jodie Foster’s 1997 film “Contact”. 📣 Express Explained is now on Telegram
What happened to the Arecibo telescope?
Arecibo, the second largest single-disc radio telescope in the world, has withstood many hurricanes and earthquakes since its first construction in 1963.
Even before its collapse, experts had expressed alarm over the condition of the telescope and had recommended a controlled demolition of the entire structure. On November 19, NSF announced that the Arecibo was due to be shut down after two cables broke within months and threatened the observatory’s survival.
At the time, NSF said, “The decision comes after NSF has evaluated multiple evaluations by independent engineering firms that have found that the telescope structure is in danger of catastrophic failure and that its cables may not be more capable of carrying the loads they were designed for. support. ” Soon after, the hashtag #WhatAreciboMeansToMe was in fashion on Twitter.
However, less than two weeks later, the worst-case scenario NSF was trying to avoid materialized when the telescope’s 900-tonne receiving platform collapsed 450 feet into the 1000-foot-wide dish below, shattering it.
The contributions of Arecibo
Being the most powerful radar, scientists employed Arecibo to observe planets, asteroids and the ionosphere, making several discoveries over the decades, including searching for prebiotic molecules in distant galaxies, the first exoplanets and the first millisecond pulsar.
In 1967, Arecibo was able to discover that the planet Mercury rotates in 59 days and not in 88 days as it was originally thought. In subsequent decades, it also served as a hub in the search for extraterrestrial life and would search for radio signals from alien civilizations. Arecibo also played a key role in tracking the killer asteroids headed for Earth.
In 1993, scientists Russell Hulse and Joseph Taylor received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on the observatory in monitoring a binary pulsar, providing a rigorous test of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity and the first proof of existence. of gravitational waves.
The telescope had also become a cultural symbol for Puerto Rico and attracted around 90,000 visitors each year.
Not to be missed by Explained | Royal Society unveils portrait of astrophysicist Jocelyn Burnell. That’s why his discovery of pulsars was significant
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
.
[ad_2]
Source link
