Huge Puerto Rico radio telescope collapses; many mourning

An overview of the damaged Arecibo Observatory radio telescope is seen in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Credit: Reuters Photo

A huge radio telescope in Puerto Rico that has long played a key role in astronomical discoveries collapsed on Tuesday, officials said.

The Arecibo Observatory had been shuttered since August after an auxiliary cable snapped and caused a 100-foot gash on the reflector dish. Then the main cable broke in early November, leading the National Science Foundation to declare just weeks later that it planned to close the radio telescope because the damage was too great.

Many scientists and Puerto Ricans mourned the news, with some tearing up during interviews.

It is the second-largest radio telescope in the world and had been operating for more than half a century.

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