The world's largest single-dish and aperture telescope, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is closed down again following its temporary closure during the Tropical Storm Isaias, after significant 100-foot damage caused by own faulty cables, on Monday, August 10.
The famed 305-meter (1,000 feet) observatory recently withstood Tropical Storm Isaias and was temporarily shut down to ensure its staff's and the instruments' safety. However, one of the cables broke and lashed out on the dish that sustained 100-feet worth of damage.
The University of Central Florida reports that the Observatory in Puerto Rico is closed down again to review the facility and assess the damage received by the dish. A three-inch auxiliary cable that is intended to support the single-dish telescope broke its surface that left behind a "wound" that is a hundred feet long.
The accident happened at 2:45 in the morning. Cables broke through an approximate of six to eight panels in the Gregorian dome. The said dome is the Observatory's main platform. Additionally, the cable twisted the platform that provides access to the dome, thus rendering it inaccessible.
"We have a team of experts assessing the situation," Francisco Cordova, the director of the Arecibo Observatory said. It is currently not yet known what caused the cables to break.
"Our focus is assuring the safety of our staff, protecting the facilities and equipment, and restoring the facility to full operations as soon as possible, so it can continue to assist scientists around the world."
Arecibo Observatory and Tropical Storm Isaias
Not long before the incident, the Arecibo Observatory was temporarily closed down following the events of Tropical Storm Isaias that is believed to bring massive winds and rain that may be catastrophic.
UCF stated that the storm is not the only priority of the Observatory at the moment. In fact, the tropical storm coincided with a cosmic occurrence, an asteroid that draws close to the Earth. Asteroid '2020 NK1' is first spotted in early July and is in close proximity to the planet (five million miles).
However, the assigned dates for the researchers to observe the cosmic object, July 30-31, was also the time that the tropical storm would rain down in Puerto Rico. The facility was closed down for safety purposes of both staff and equipment.
"Fortunately, the storm passed quickly without damage to the telescope or the radar system, and the maintenance and electronics teams were able to activate the telescope from hurricane lockdown in time for the observations," Sean Marshall, 2020 NK1's lead Observatory Scientist of the team on conducting radar observations.
The Observatory did not sustain any damages, being completely fine and usable. The team then found that 2020 NK1 won't be a threat sometime in the present and near future.
The Observatory through the years
The National Astronomic and Ionosphere Center (NAIC) shares the rich history of the Arecibo Observatory through the years.
The Observatory is founded in 1963 by Professor William E. Gordon from Cornell University, with its construction taking three years in completion, from early 1960.
Since then, the facility has sustained a lot of disasters of both natural and bureaucratic reasons. Storms and hurricanes were frequent in the area and have been repaired and maintained since then. 2017's Hurricane Maria left behind damages that also dealt a significant problem for the facility. Repairs are still on-going for the past catastrophe.
Currently, the UCF Manages the NSF Facility in cooperation with Universidad Ana G. Mendez and Yang Enterprises, Inc. The Observatory's telescope is one of the most powerful in the world as it can move freely and track cosmic events.
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Written by Isaiah Alonzo
