Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2020 December 9

                         Arecibo Telescope Collapse
                   Video Credit: Arecibo Observatory, NSF

   Explanation: This was one great scientific instrument. Starting in
   1963, the 305-meters across Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico USA
   reigned as the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world for
   over 50 years. Among numerous firsts and milestones, data from Arecibo
   has been used to measure the spin of Mercury, map the surface of Venus,
   discover the first planets outside of our Solar System, verify the
   existence of gravitational radiation, search for extraterrestrial
   intelligence, and, reportedly, locate hidden military radar by tracking
   their reflections from the Moon. Past its prime and in the process of
   being decommissioned, the Arecibo Telescope suffered a catastrophic
   structural collapse early this month, as seen in the featured composite
   video.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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