The Arecibo Radio Telescope has collapsed
Dec 1, 2020 19:53:48 #
As expected. The loss of a magnificent instrument that has done some great science - a sadness.
https://www.space.com/arecibo-radio-telescope-collapses
https://www.space.com/arecibo-radio-telescope-collapses
Dec 1, 2020 20:00:19 #
Dec 1, 2020 20:10:04 #
I read about it earlier and saw a number of photos taken today. Also just happened to have watched "Contact" again last week. I was a little confused with prior discussion indicating that it was already beyond fixing, a lost cause, followed today with talk about getting it back in shape.
Dec 1, 2020 20:27:02 #
TriX wrote:
As expected. The loss of a magnificent instrument that has done some great science - a sadness.
https://www.space.com/arecibo-radio-telescope-collapses
https://www.space.com/arecibo-radio-telescope-collapses
That thing was how old? End of an era... the new generation of space telescopes caught the baton a few years ago.
My understanding is they “see” in a very wide frequency range — from ordinary radio, all the way down to gamma ray frequencies.
Dec 1, 2020 20:28:48 #
burkphoto wrote:
That thing was how old? End of an era... the new generation of space telescopes caught the baton a few years ago.
My understanding is they “see” in a very wide frequency range — from ordinary radio, all the way down to gamma ray frequencies.
My understanding is they “see” in a very wide frequency range — from ordinary radio, all the way down to gamma ray frequencies.
The Chinese now have the largest one - >1600’ in diameter.
Dec 1, 2020 20:41:22 #
Dec 2, 2020 08:42:13 #
TriX wrote:
The Chinese now have the largest one - >1600’ in diameter.
This true, but Arecibo was the largest *radar* telescope in the world. The Chinese one cannot use radar, just incoming radio waves.
Dec 2, 2020 08:42:34 #
I saw a bit online about how they were going to dismantle it because the cables have been snapping. And people say that cutting budgets is a good thing? If it had been maintained, it would still be in place. Now, the only similar one is in China, but it doesn't do radar, which gave Arecibo a big advantage.
Dec 2, 2020 08:44:39 #
burkphoto wrote:
That thing was how old? End of an era... the new generation of space telescopes caught the baton a few years ago.
My understanding is they “see” in a very wide frequency range — from ordinary radio, all the way down to gamma ray frequencies.
My understanding is they “see” in a very wide frequency range — from ordinary radio, all the way down to gamma ray frequencies.
Arecibo still had its uses, though, and it cannot be replaced by telescopes on earth or in space. Penny wise and pound foolish. Maintaining it would have been costly, but building a new one is never going to happen.
Dec 2, 2020 09:10:23 #
TriX wrote:
As expected. The loss of a magnificent instrument that has done some great science - a sadness.
https://www.space.com/arecibo-radio-telescope-collapses
https://www.space.com/arecibo-radio-telescope-collapses
Wasn’t this used in a James Bond movie?
Dec 2, 2020 09:32:50 #
tomcat wrote:
Wasn’t this used in a James Bond movie?
"Golden Eye" and also "Contact."
Dec 2, 2020 10:04:01 #
jerryc41 wrote:
"Golden Eye" and also "Contact."
Yep, that's the one. Golden Eye was one of the better Bond movies. I liked that nut that kept clicking the pen and his assistant was really a charmer.....
Dec 2, 2020 10:07:48 #
Bloke wrote:
This true, but Arecibo was the largest *radar* telescope in the world. The Chinese one cannot use radar, just incoming radio waves.
Well, at the moment, but maybe in the future. The dish itself and its feed for receiving is the same as one for transmitting - they’d need to add a transmitter and circulator/switcher at the focus. Although aperture=gain, those big fixed dishes such as Arecibo and the Chinese dish cannot be “steered” except by moving the focus a limited amount, so while very sensitive, can’t cover the entire sky. The largest steerable dish in the US is the 100M Green Bank dish in West Virginia. I’ve visited it, and there is a large radio “quiet zone” around the dish where no radio noise emitters are allowed - that includes spark ignition (gasoline) automobiles within miles of the dish in this federally controlled area. Here’s a link for further interesting reading: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_telescope
Dec 2, 2020 10:28:23 #
Hay "Trix", The one at Greenbank can be seen from the mountain top of Cass RR. I have driven to this many times. My wife's cousin is the contractor who built the visitor center. We drove to within 100 yards of the telescope. No radios, or cell phone service for about 15 miles.
Dec 2, 2020 13:41:29 #
tomcat wrote:
Yep, that's the one. Golden Eye was one of the better Bond movies. I liked that nut that kept clicking the pen and his assistant was really a charmer.....
One of the Bond movies that was set in space showed a satellite antenna opening. It was actually a flash gun just like one I had at the time. I recognized it right away. Let me see if I can a picture. I know I have one somewhere.
Here it is - folded up. They did a time lapse of it opening.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.