Arecibo Observatory
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
The Arecibo Radio Telescope
The Telescope is made up of a parabolic reflector with a tower to hold all of its equipment at the telescope's focus point. It has a 1,000 foot diameter, making it the worlds largest single aperture telescope.
The Telescope is the only one located at the Arecibo Observatory.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
The Arecibo Radio Telescope views the sky in Radio Waves
These waves are 3cm to 1m long
Major Discoveries
It is the first telescope to get a direct image of an asteroid.
It is the first telescope to find an accurate rotation rate of Mercury.
Sent out the Arecibo Message, which was an attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial life.
Current Research
The telescope is currently researching the prebiotic molecules methanimine and hydrogen cyanide in galaxy Arp 220.
All of this data is collected through radio waves.
Location
Arecibo, Puerto Rico is a great place for an observatory since they are close to the equator and can see about 40% of the sky