Arecibo Is No More

2020 has had no mercy, even when it comes to astronomy. Arecibo Observatory, the massive radio telescope located in Puerto Rico, will be decommissioned. The decision is not based on a lack of funding or scientific value, but because of safety concerns. In August a cable helping to hold the telescope up slipped out of place, which damaged the dish, but the situation was still stable. Earlier this month, however, a second cable snapped, and the National Science Foundation has deemed the situation beyond repair. Basically, there's no way to repair the damage to the dish without putting people at unnecessary risk. The thing could collapse entirely at any time, and even a controlled decommissioning may not be possible.

Obviously Arecibo is not the be-all and end-all of radio astronomy, but losing it will hurt a lot. Now, back to our regularly scheduled beer and golf stuff.