Rest in Pieces Arecibo observatory

Arecibo in its prime scanning the sky, detecting the first neutron stars and exo-planets

Arecibo today. An earth quake overnight proved too much for the remaining 3 cables supporting the the triangle platform from tower 4. The backlash caused tower 4 to collapse as the platform swung between towers 1 and 2, the initial force of the swing toward the hillside seems to have caused the azimuth rail and Gregorian dome to break free and smash into the dish before the platform continued its swing slamming into the hillside and part of the top of the dish tension on the remaining cables appears to have been to much and many have snapped destroying parts of the dish, some of the control buildings and parts of the surrounding Forrest.

The site has been closed for some weeks now owing to the initial failure of the first 2 cables from tower 4, water appears to have found its way into anchor structure causing them to rot and fail, Arecibo had also be subjected to chronic underfunding and deferred maintenance. An emergency funding package was being arranged in an attempt to save the structure, but engineers had already assessed the structure as too unsafe to approach. Plans were being drawn up to safely lower the platform and sensor assembly before the collapse

Image taken after the first cable failure

Science today has lost an import tool in its understanding of the universe, though originally developed to study our own atmosphere Arecibo scanned the sky's further than any other man made object. Providing precise details that have lead to important scientific breakthrough in understanding our own universe. It leaves behind a wealth of information that May still take decades to work through.

my heart goes out to the scientist and engineering that put the heart and soul into building, maintaining and working with this incredible tool, who wake up today, most likely with a piece of their own heart missing.

Last of all I mourn for the people of Puerto Rico who have lost the dish today, many of the scientist working there today were inspired by it's very existence, and it was a valuable tool in inspiring the future generations into science and technology

I hope the funds can be found to rebuild and improve. But please mourn with me today.