Arecibo, Puerto Rico < change city >

San Juan   |   July, 2012   |   Attraction

"http://www.naic.edu/"

Old San Juan   |   April, 2011   |   Attraction

"Arecibo Observatory is a astronomical observatory, which is one of the world's most powerful radar-radio telescopes, and the largest single-unit radio telescope in the world. The telescope was featured in the James Bond movie GoldenEye (1995) and Contact (1997).This instrument, inaugurated in 1963, employs a 1,000-foot (300 meter) spherical reflector consisting of perforated aluminum panels that focus incoming radio waves on movable antenna structures positions about 500 feet (168 meter) above the reflector surface. The antenna can be moved in any direction, making it possible to track a celestial object in different regions of the sky. It collects radio astronomy, terrestrial aeronomy, and planetary radar data for scientists around the world. The National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center developed the observatory and it is operated by Cornell University under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. Conceived in 1958 by William E. Gordon, a Cornell professor of electrical engineering, the radio observatory has been operated, since its completion in 1963. The Arecibo Observatory owned by Cornell University, is powerful enough to receive signals transmitted by a comparable telescope located 1,000 light-years away. The facilities are open to the public Wednesday-Friday noon-4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9am - 4pm. For information call: (787) 878-2612."

San Juan   |   April, 2013   |   Attraction