Space & Astronomy

Footage shows collapse of Arecibo observatory

By T.K. Randall
December 6, 2020

Image: Arecibo Telescope (2021)
Credit: Tedder / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) The final destruction of the iconic facility, which was built back in the 1960s, has been laid bare this week thanks to new footage captured by drones that had been inspecting it at the time of collapse.

Consisting of two separate clips, the video (see below) begins by showing the observatory's 900-ton platform - which was suspended above the 1,000ft dish by a series of cables - come crashing down in spectacular fashion, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.The second clip, which was filmed from the height of the platform, shows it sway before collapsing entirely as several of the cables holding it up can be seen splitting and snapping.

The collapse came about due to damage sustained during two recent earthquakes. Repairs had been initially planned, but when a second cable snapped it was deemed too unsafe to work on it.

After watching this video, it is easy to see why.


Source: Arecibo Observatory

Tags: Arecibo