Mine is just one of the many posts appearing around the world today, thanking and saying Goodbye to the Arecibo Observatory today. Out of all the bad things that have happened in 2020, this may be in the top 3 and had probably depressed me the most.
The radio-telescope has been featured a number of times in the media, from this episode of Reading Rainbow:
the X-Files (Season 2 Episode 1: Little Green Men), James Bond movies (Goldeneye), and my favorite Jody Foster movie, Contact.
But the unthinkable has happened. Funding has been low for years and routine maintenance took a back seat to emergency repairs when possible, but thanks to all the tropical storms over the years, when the dish started to collapse recently there were no funds left for its repair. Requests for cash went out, but relief didn't come soon enough.
So, R.I.P., Arecibo Observatory. Hopefully some gajillionaire will come along and finance the building of a new telescope, a 'la Hadden (John Hurt's character in Contact). But until then, always remember, to quote Fox Mulder's warning to Jorge, "Nojo on the rojo."
