The Long Legacy Of The Arecibo Telescope

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Since its completion in 1963, the Arecibo Observatory has played a key role in discoveries ranging from new insights into pulsars to detecting planets outside our solar system. John Elk/Getty Images hide caption

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John Elk/Getty Images

Since its completion in 1963, the Arecibo Observatory has played a key role in discoveries ranging from new insights into pulsars to detecting planets outside our solar system.

John Elk/Getty Images

The National Science Foundation recently announced it plans to decommission the Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico. The world-renowned telescope has suffered substantial damage this year. Today, we revisit our conversation with planetary scientist Edgard Rivera-Valentín about the unique role Arecibo has played in both scientific research and popular culture. (Encore episode.)

Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Brit Hanson, fact-checked by Viet Le and edited by Deborah George.