900ton

Drone footage captures the moment cables supporting the 900-ton Arecibo Observatory SNAP

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1963: Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory Commissioned for service on November 1 for $9.7 million. 1965: One of its first accomplishments was establishing the rotation rate of Mercury, which turned out to be 59 days rather than the previously estimated 88 days. 1968: Sporadic radio pulses from the direction of the Crab Nebula supernova remnant found at Green … Read more

Areciob Observatory in Puerto Rico collapses after a cable broke that supported a 900-ton platform

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The renowned Arecibo Observatory radio telescope in Puerto Rico that has played a key role in astronomical discoveries for more than half a century has collapsed. A cable holding up a 900-ton receiver platform snapped around 8am local time Tuesday morning and sent the massive structure hurling onto the reflector dish more than 400 feet … Read more