The structure's demise was sudden, though it has been deteriorating for several months. The telescope's collapse brings to an end 57 years of astronomical work.
Image: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP
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A giant telescope at Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory that had been deteriorating since August collapsed on Tuesday, officials said.
After making astronomical discoveries for well over half a century, the radio telescope's 900-ton receiver platform, suspended by cables 450 feet (137 meters) above a 1,000-foot-wide (305 meters) bowl-shaped reflector dish, fell on Tuesday morning.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) tweeted: "No injuries were reported. NSF is working with stakeholders to assess the situation. Our top priority is maintaining safety."
The NSF later released a statement saying: "Local authorities will keep the area cordoned off as engineers work to assess the stability of the observatory's other structures."
Space photography: Stunning views of the universe
London's Royal Observatory annually selects the best photos of the universe, entered in an annual astronomy photographer competition. Ahead of the prize announcement, here's a short list.
Image: Ben Bush
A planet is born
Photographer Martin Pugh was thrilled by what he photographed with his CDK 17 telescope in Chile in May 2019. Over many clear nights, he collected data and took precise light measurements. For 23 hours, the Australian exposed swirling hydrogen and documented the birth of a new planet.
Image: Martin Pugh
Upward view in Australia
Here, the astronomer's sober gaze and the photographer's enter an artistic alliance, drawing the viewer into the Milky Way's galactic core. The Lithgow Blast Furnace building is an icon of the Australian iron and steel industry. In it, Australian Jay Evans tried out a high-resolution megapixel camera for the first time. The result was anything but disappointing.
Image: Jay Evans
Solar eclipse with Venus
These extraordinary light conditions were in the crystal-clear air on one day at the ESO Observatory in La Silla, Chile. Using a complex technique, photographer Sebastian Voltmer captured a solar eclipse in an picture that also shows a brightly-shining Venus. Ninety-six individual images were calibrated, superimposed and fused into one glorious image.
Image: Sebastian Voltmer
Northern Lights on the Lofoten Islands
This snapshot was taken by the German photographer Andreas Ettl on Norway's Lofoten Islands. The remote area below the Arctic Circle is one of the world's best places to experience a spectacular light show of the aurora borealis, as depicted in this photo, titled "Hamnoy Lights."
Image: Andreas Ettl
Capturing galactic symmetry
With impressive technical precision, Andy Casely preserved a supernatural moment with the help of a high-powered telescope. In this stunning shot taken on a summer day in 2019, the photographer captured ringed Saturn peeking out from behind the large pock-marked face of the moon.
Image: Andy Casely
The moon over London
After three failed attempts, British photographer Mathew Browne finally succeeded in taking this somewhat eerie photo of the full moon in the British capital. Like a scene from Batman's Gotham City, the moon shines brightly from behind the jagged facade of the Shard skyscraper. The photographer only had a few minutes to take this special shot.
Image: Mathew Browne
Arctic dance of color
Stunning natural phenomena make it easy for photographers in the Icelandic region on the edge of the Arctic Circle to capture a good shot. But professional nature photographer Ben Bush takes it to the next level in this breathtaking picture awash in green light. To take this picture, Bush kneeled at the shore of the Atlantic Ocean at a temperature of #6 degrees C (-17 Fahrenheit).
The structure was already looking vulnerable after an auxiliary cable snapped in August, causing a 100-foot gash on the 1,000-foot-wide (305-meter-wide) dish.
A main cable then broke in early November, prompting the NSF to announce the structure was beyond repair and would have to be demolished.
"It sounded like a rumble. I knew exactly what it was,'' said Jonathan Friedman, who worked for 26 years as a senior research associate at the observatory and still lives nearby. "I was screaming. Personally, I was out of control.... I don't have words to express it. It's a very deep, terrible feeling."
Angel Vazquez, the telescope's director of operations, told news agency The Associated Press. "It was a snowball effect," he said. "There was no way to stop it.... It was too much for the old girl to take."
The telescope also gained fame after being used in the 1995 James Bond film "GoldenEye" starring Pierce Brosnan.
