Eise Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 On 12/2/2020 at 5:32 PM, Externet said: Sad news Yes, indeed, very sad.
Sensei Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 Dark days for the whole world scientific community... The new POTUS should announce the rebuild of the antenna.
Danijel Gorupec Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 Why the antenna broke - funds withdrawal or incompetent/malicious management? It does not look like an accident to me.
iNow Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 8 hours ago, Danijel Gorupec said: Why the antenna broke - funds withdrawal or incompetent/malicious management? It does not look like an accident to me. Why not? Time is a savage mistress that deteriorates all things. Despite regular maintenance, the dish is quite old and in a very difficult location to service and tend. There's no need to assume malice or ill intent when nature herself is the most likely cause.
Externet Posted December 4, 2020 Author Posted December 4, 2020 (edited) Several recent hurricanes in the region contributed to the failure. Earthquakes helped too; 'Maria' hurricane in 2017; In August 2020 a suspension cable broke starting the end : 7 November 2020. The broken cable shown hanging down : Edited December 4, 2020 by Externet Added image
Danijel Gorupec Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 23 minutes ago, iNow said: Why not? Time is a savage mistress that deteriorates all things. Despite regular maintenance, the dish is quite old and in a very difficult location to service and tend. There's no need to assume malice or ill intent when nature herself is the most likely cause. I don't assume malice, but I would accept only few reasons for the wreckage: - an earlier decision that maintenance expenses are too heavy and the telescope is to be left-on-its-own - a beyond-design-basis event If a maintenance program was in operation, then it was inadequate. Maintenance should maintain. The reason I mention this is because the above photo can be used by anti-scientists for their agenda ("look how they spend your money"). If the telescope was intentionally abandoned, that must be clearly communicated to the public.
iNow Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 Politicians pull finding for projects, not scientists.
Sensei Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 (edited) Arecibo collapse video recorded by camera and drone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgqrRy96z_0 Edited December 4, 2020 by Sensei
John Cuthber Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 There are two ways to look at this and I'm going with "Nobody got hurt and it's a great opportunity to modernise this facility which has been an epic emblem of astronomy for eighty years". Is anyone with me? Incidentally, when it was built in 1960 there was rather less focus on ensuring that planned maintenance could be done safely. 1
swansont Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 33 minutes ago, John Cuthber said: There are two ways to look at this and I'm going with "Nobody got hurt and it's a great opportunity to modernise this facility which has been an epic emblem of astronomy for eighty years". Is anyone with me? I agree Quote Incidentally, when it was built in 1960 there was rather less focus on ensuring that planned maintenance could be done safely. No doubt. And also, I wonder what the planned lifetime of the facility was. There aren’t that many scientific instruments, especially at this scale, that are designed to last as long as this did. Not without large-scale overhauls edit: The instrument was designed to have a ten-year lifetime. http://www.naic.edu/~newslet/no37/NAICNo37.pdf (That’s not to say that this was never extended)
Danijel Gorupec Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 I would much prefer a modern telescope than the wall between USA and Mexico. But i guess the US congress could still find valuable to debate about it.
joigus Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 3 hours ago, John Cuthber said: There are two ways to look at this and I'm going with "Nobody got hurt and it's a great opportunity to modernise this facility which has been an epic emblem of astronomy for eighty years". Exactly my thoughts.
John Cuthber Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 Quick thank you for not taking the piss out of my grasp of arithmetic. Sixty years, not 80.
Sensei Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 (edited) 38 minutes ago, John Cuthber said: Quick thank you for not taking the piss out of my grasp of arithmetic. Sixty years, not 80. No need to thank us. It is Christmas (almost).. Edited December 4, 2020 by Sensei
AtomicMX Posted December 15, 2020 Posted December 15, 2020 (edited) On 12/4/2020 at 9:33 AM, iNow said: Why not? Time is a savage mistress that deteriorates all things. Despite regular maintenance, the dish is quite old and in a very difficult location to service and tend. There's no need to assume malice or ill intent when nature herself is the most likely cause. True Edited December 15, 2020 by AtomicMX
Externet Posted December 15, 2020 Author Posted December 15, 2020 Found out today that China is building a 500 metres diameter telescope antenna in PingTang, to start operating in 2021 😀 Can someone explain the convenience of making this one spherical instead of parabolic ?
John Cuthber Posted December 15, 2020 Posted December 15, 2020 8 hours ago, Externet said: Can someone explain the convenience of making this one spherical instead of parabolic ? I think the Arecibo one was spherical too. It' might be something to do with the lack of steering. With a sphere it points in all directions- you just need to move the receiver. But a paraboloid has a single axis that you have to line up with the target.
MigL Posted December 16, 2020 Posted December 16, 2020 When I heard the news I got nostalgic and put on a blu-ray of James Bond's 1995 Goldeneye ( with Pierce Brosnan ). Famke Janssen looked delicious in that, and Aracebo, spectacular.
Danijel Gorupec Posted December 16, 2020 Posted December 16, 2020 20 hours ago, John Cuthber said: I think the Arecibo one was spherical too. It' might be something to do with the lack of steering. With a sphere it points in all directions- you just need to move the receiver. But a paraboloid has a single axis that you have to line up with the target. Yes, this is also my understanding. In fact, as I understand, the PingTang telescope can never use its whole dish to listen a single (point) source. But I don't understand what is the advantage, if any, in comparison to a synchronized array of small movable-dish telescopes? The price?
John Cuthber Posted December 17, 2020 Posted December 17, 2020 On 12/16/2020 at 7:53 PM, Danijel Gorupec said: But I don't understand what is the advantage, if any, in comparison to a synchronized array of small movable-dish telescopes? The price? Simplicity, I think. And that's pretty much the same as price.
Curious layman Posted December 17, 2020 Posted December 17, 2020 On 12/16/2020 at 7:53 PM, Danijel Gorupec said: But I don't understand what is the advantage, if any, in comparison to a synchronized array of small movable-dish telescopes? The price? I suspect there's also an element of 'have you seen how big my dick is' going on.
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