Legendary Arecibo telescope will close forever — scientists are reeling

New satellite image reveals the damage that shut down the facility, ending an era in astronomical observation.

Alexandra Witze

Alexandra Witze

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Wide aerial shot showing a hole in the main collecting dish of the Arecibo Observatory radio telescope. — Damage to the Arecibo telescope from a 6 November cable break is too extensive to repair, the US National Science Foundation says. Credit: University of Central Florida/Arecibo Observatory

One of astronomy’s most renowned telescopes — the 305-metre-wide radio telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico — is closing permanently. Engineers cannot find a safe way to repair it after two cables supporting the structure broke suddenly and catastrophically, one in August and one in early November.

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Nature 587, 529-530 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03270-9

Updates & Corrections

Update 19 November 2020: This story was updated to include more reactions from the scientific community and to add details about ongoing research and upgrades at the observatory.
Correction 20 November 2020: This story was updated to correct the spelling of astronomer Abel Méndez’s name, the full name of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, and Christopher Salter’s affiliation.

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