Arecibo Observatory

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Route 625, Arecibo, Puerto Rico(787) 878-2612

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Museums
Hours:
June, July, and mid-Dec.-mid-Jan., daily 9-4; mid-Jan.-May and Aug.-mid-Dec., Wed.-Fri. noon-4,... Read More weekends 9-4 Close
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$5
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Arecibo Radio Telescope Photo - Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico

User Reviews

Results 1-4of 4 Reviews

Arecibo -- Super Sized Science

by travelswithkids

chicago, Illinois

May 14, 2009

Arecibo Observatory is the world's largest telescope. It's huge dish for collecting radio waves is set in a hollow in the karst landscape of north-central Puerto Rico, about two hours west of San Juan. The main spherical reflector, fixed in place, ...Read more Arecibo Observatory is the world's largest telescope. It's huge dish for collecting radio waves is set in a hollow in the karst landscape of north-central Puerto Rico, about two hours west of San Juan. The main spherical reflector, fixed in place, is 305 meters across and is composed of over 38000 individual aluminum panels. The telescope's super-cooled receivers are suspended in the air above the dish on a mobile platform which is moved to pick-up the signals coming off different directions from the reflector.

Arecibo has been a tool in many significant discoveries in radio astronomy, such as measuring the rotation rate of mercury or determining the periodicity of the crab pulsar, and it acquires the data for the SETI@home search for extraterrestrial intelligence

Arecibo has been featured in numerous movies and TV shows, including my favorite, a great fight scene in a James Bond movie.

Visiting Arecibo is very interesting and educational. You begin your visit with a short film about how the scientists work at Arecibo. There's a very nice visitors center which is sort of a hands-on science museum with exhibits explaining how Arecibo's science works and other displays about our solar system. On the path leading up to the telescope, there's even a scale model of the solar system. The nice visitor center/museum provides more to do than just drive there, see the dish, say, "Wow, cool" and drive back.

You need a car to get to Arecibo. Most of the drive is along a high-speed tollway stretching west from San Juan. Then you turn south through the interesting limestone karst terrain, which consists of vegetation-covered limestone hills interspersed with sinkholes where the underlying porous limestone caves have collapsed.

There are other more active, adventurous activities related to caves and rivers in the area, but they were closed the day we happened to visit, so you may want to plan ahead to make a whole day of it. Arecibo itself is not open every day, depending on the season, so definitely check ahead. Except for June-July and Christmas-New Year's time, it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

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From journal Sunny San Juan

Caves/Observatory/Taino tribes

by jonbarb709

The Villages, Florida

July 30, 2006

This is 3 places in one day. It can be done, really no rush, just don't waste time. Start at the Parque de las Cavernas del Rio Camuy. One of the world's largest cave networks - seniors get a discount. Got to see this to believe it. RTE 625, Km ...Read more

From journal Puerto Rico for the First Time

Arecibo Observatory

by Jill-O-E

Quincy, Massachusetts

April 23, 2005

Best of IgoUgo The radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory, located about 2 hours west of San Juan, is the largest telescope of its kind. To get there from Route 22, we had to follow a series of signs leading us through the windy, hilly back roads. Sometimes the ...Read more

From journal Road Trip in Puerto Rico!!

World's Largest Telescope?

by TrVL4LiFe

Somewhere, South Carolina

December 21, 2004

Can this be the world's largest telescope? I can say that it was huge and amazing to look at. The telescope is at the Arecibo Obervatorio. There is a small but educational tour of the telescope. If you like astronomy, you'll find this ...Read more

From journal An Enchantment Week in Puerto Rico

Arecibo Observatory

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User Reviews

Arecibo -- Super Sized Science

Caves/Observatory/Taino tribes

Arecibo Observatory

World's Largest Telescope?