Damage to the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico
Photo: Arecibo Observatory / dpaA falling cable damaged the until recently world's largest radio telescope in Puerto Rico. The operation of the observatory in Arecibo was interrupted during the repairs, said the University of Central Florida in the USA. An approximately 7.5 centimeter thick steel cable, which helps to support a metal platform, broke on Monday night for unknown reasons.
When it fell, it caused a crack about 30 meters long in the reflector bowl of the telescope and also damaged the dome and a platform. So far there is no information on how long the repairs would take. Damage caused to the observatory by Hurricane Maria 2017 is still being repaired there.
The US university manages the facility in the Caribbean US suburbs in cooperation with a local university network and a private company.
Archive image of the radio telescope from 2007
Photo: Brennan Linsley / dpaUntil 2016, when an even larger one went into operation in China, the radio telescope in Puerto Rico was the largest in the world with a diameter of around 300 meters. It started operating in 1963 and is still one of the most sensitive telescopes in the world. In 1974, while working at the Arecibo Observatory, the US astronomers Russell Hulse and Joseph Taylor discovered the PSR 1913 + 16 double pulsar - two neutron stars orbiting each other - and indirectly observed gravitational waves with it.
Radio telescopes collect radio waves from space. The radio signals are then processed by computers and converted into images. The Arecibo observatory is also a popular tourist attraction. It was also featured in the James Bond film "GoldenEye" and in the science fiction drama "Contact".
Icon: The mirrorcop / dpa / AP