Sky & Telescope - August 2021 - 34

ANGEL TRUJILLO / GETTY IMAGES
SCIENCE AND SOCIETY by Gerrit Verschuur
Arecibo's Legacy
D
The tragic loss of the iconic radio
telescope abruptly ended more than a
half century of science and inspiration.
isasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes are common
in Puerto Rico. Only about 180 by 60 kilometers
(110 by 40 miles) in extent, the small island lies 1,600
kilometers southeast of Miami, far from any major landmass.
The Atlantic Ocean beats against its northern shores, and the
placid Caribbean strokes its southern coast. Despite the dangers,
Puerto Rico is a popular tourist destination and home
to 3.2 million U.S. citizens, a resilient and diverse population
long proud of the world-famous 305-meter (1,000-ft) radio
telescope at Arecibo Observatory.
But at 7 a.m. on December 1, 2020, their resilience was
severely tested. At that moment the support cables above the
dish snapped, and the 900-ton antenna platform suspended
above the dish plummeted into it in a mangled mass of steel.
The crash triggered a nearby seismograph accustomed to
recording small (and some not so small) earthquakes from
the collision between tectonic plates in the region.
Senior telescope operator Israel Cabrera was a witness.
" I do not have the right words to explain my pain when the
platform collapsed, " he recalls. " Just to hear the cable threads
ripping like gun shots and see the platform coming down -
it was a lot to take. " He and other staff members watching all
started to cry. They had dreaded this moment. " I feel this loss
in [a] very emotional way, " says Cabrera. " Now, just looking
every time I come to work, I can see the ghost of the platform,
but it is not there anymore. "
Planetary scientist Edgard Rivera-Valentín (Lunar and
Planetary Institute) was born in Puerto Rico and had been an
34 AUGUST 2021 * SKY & TELESCOPE
BEFORE THE FALL This panorama from the visitor center's observation
deck shows the telescope's instrument platform (with Gregorian
dome), two of the three suspension towers, and part of the dish, all surrounded
by the Puerto Rican jungle.
integral part of the observatory scientifi c staff. He emphasizes
that the loss isn't merely scientifi c. " It is cultural. Over
the past 57 years, the telescope has woven itself into the
Puerto Rican culture and has become a symbol of science and
excellence in Puerto Rico. A symbol of our hopes and dreams
to improve, to grow, and to achieve. A symbol of inspiration.
So, you can imagine the angst I and my island felt witnessing
its collapse. "
The observatory is located south of the city of Arecibo,
some 80 km west of San Juan. When my wife and I worked
there as astronomers, it used to take us 35 minutes from our
residence to navigate the winding road and the 167 bends in
its last few miles. After you received a friendly greeting at the
guard gate, you entered what might have been one of coziest
spots on Earth to do your work. Nestled in a narrow valley
between 30-m-high, densely vegetated cliffs, sturdy concrete
and cinder-block buildings housed telescope operations,
electronics, administration, staff scientists, visiting scientist
quarters, and a cafeteria. Although the dish itself hid behind
the foliage, from the control room windows you could see
the enormous antenna platform suspended only about 240 m
away, as if hovering in midair. At night the jungle came alive
with the cacophony of coqui tree frogs calling to one another
Sky & Telescope - August 2021

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