Arecibo Observatory Remains Offline After Being Buffeted by Hurricane Maria

[Judi Lynn]

By Hanneke Weitering, Space.com Staff Writer | September 21, 2017 03:34pm ET

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Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory is home to the second-largest radio telescope in the world.
Credit: Arecibo Observatory

The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico remained offline today (Sept. 21) after Hurricane Maria battered the island on Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction that included a total loss of power.

The Arecibo Observatory, in Puerto Rico's northwest, houses the world's second-largest radio telescope. While the facility has been closed all week for the hurricane, a handful of staff members had remained inside the observatory, waiting for the storm to pass.

"Most cell towers and all landlines are down," Aya Collins, a spokeswoman for the National Science Foundation (NSF), told Space.com in an email. With no power, phones or internet, the people of Puerto Rico have very limited means of communication with the outside world. "We haven't received any official communications from the Arecibo Observatory," Collins said. [In Photos: Hurricane Maria Seen from Space]

In an update posted at noon EDT today (Sept. 21), officials with the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), which helps to operate the Arecibo Observatory, said they also have been unable to contact people at the facility.

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[Judi Lynn]

1. Hurricane Maria Damages Parts of Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory

By Hanneke Weitering, Space.com Staff Writer | September 22, 2017 03:50pm ET

Puerto Rico's iconic Arecibo Observatory has sustained some significant damage from Hurricane Maria, officials reported today (Sept. 22).

The storm hit the island as a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday (Sept. 20) and left widespread destruction in its wake. Without power, phones or internet service, the Arecibo Observatory has been offline since the storm hit.

The Arecibo Observatory houses the world's second-largest radio telescope. While the overall structure of the telescope is still standing, it sustained some pretty serious damage from Hurricane Maria, according to an update from the Universities Space Research Organization (USRA), which helps to operate the Arecibo Observatory.

One telescope operator at Arecibo managed to contact USRA officials Thursday (Sept. 21) via a short-wave radio transmission. National Geographic's Nadia Drake reports that Pennsylvania State University professor Jim Breakall spoke with the telescope operator, who was identified as Ángel Vazquez, and said staff members and their families were safe after sheltering at the facility. Vazquez also detailed some of the damage done to the iconic telescope.

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The Arecibo Observatory sustained serious damage during Hurricane Maria. The pointy object protruding downward from the suspended platform is a 96-foot (29-meter) antenna that broke off during the hurricane, puncturing the telescope dish below.

Credit: Pedrik/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

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