Sad day for radio astronomy

[DrPop]

Looks like they can't salvage arecibo.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/19/...se-cable-break

[zombie67]

Sad.

[Al]

I just saw that. It is a sad day.

[tsuess]

End of an Era, for sure. At least we can still watch "Contact" and see it again....

[zombie67]

End of an Era, for sure. At least we can still watch "Contact" and see it again....

I prefer James Bond.

[Duke of Buckingham]

Very sad the most iconic radio telescope is going to disappear. So many movies and memories of myself other times will stay in my heart.

[shiva]

I prefer James Bond.

yea on the James Bond, that was a great show

[trigggl]

It's a sad day for planetary defense.
At the FAST wiki...

Arecibo also includes several NSF funded radars for ionospheric studies. These powerful transmitters are too large and heavy for FAST's small receiver cabin, so it will not be able to participate in planetary defence.

planetary society arecibo reaction

Of immediate concern is the telescope’s role in tracking and characterizing asteroids. Arecibo’s planetary radar was the most powerful in the world, observing roughly 100 near-Earth asteroids per year. Half of those were newly discovered objects whose orbits were not precisely known. Arecibo observations helped scientists determine whether an asteroid would hit our planet and ensured their trajectories were catalogued for future observations.

[trigggl]

Well it's an even sadder day. The observatory has collapsed.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55147973

[DrPop]

Well it's an even sadder day. The observatory has collapsed.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55147973

Wow. Totally gone now. Sigh...