Amassive scientific loss , filmed by a drone camera in a frightening collapse that affected the giant telescope at Arecibo , Puerto Rico.
For 56 years, the astronomical observation instrument has been a record-breaking device since, until 2016, it held the record for the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world. A truly respectable career that unfortunately ended in a dramatic fashion on December 1, 2020, when the structure, already heavily damaged, no longer resisted and collapsed on itself, as shown in the impressive video that we will show you.
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image credit: MDx media/Youtube
The sad end of the observation deck had unfortunately already been in the air for quite some time. Engineers had warned that the 900-ton suspended structure could fall on the huge 305-meter-wide dish at any time .
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image credit: MDx media/Youtube
In early November 2020, one of the main support cables broke, and from that point on, the end of the telescope was sealed.
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image credit: MDx media/Youtube
This colossal collapse happened shortly before 8 a.m. on December 1, 2020, and as the video that filmed it makes clear, it was a disastrous collapse to say the least , given that it also swept away with him various structures to which the telescope had hung since 1964, the year in which it began to operate.
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image credit: MDx media/Youtube
The Arecibo instrument was at the heart of very important astronomical discoveries during its years of activity, which is why its loss almost represents a “mourning” in the scientific world.
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image credit: MDx media/Youtube
The causes that led to a collapse of this magnitude are unclear (we are talking about poor maintenance), nor whether the structure will be rebuilt or completely dismantled . What is certain is that looking at the footage of the collapse really hurts and we can only hope that it is not a final ending.
Watch the video:
via: Nature