Not only does Puerto Rico have some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, historic cities, and the tastiest frituras; the island also proudly has the largest Radio telescope on Earth at the Arecibo Observatory. You might wonder how such a small island, in the lesser Antilles, can possess the largest radio telescope, but when you have a dream so big, nothing can get in the way from that dream manifesting.
As we look towards science to explain the wonders of our universe, the Radio telescope here in Puerto Rico has been able to unlock many of the big questions about how our Earth and the galaxy beyond work hand-in-hand, especially through the sciences of radio astronomy, aeronomy and radar astronomy. With the telescope, scientists have been able to precisely measure meteoroids, understand the Earth’s ionospheres, and have even attempted to communicate with extraterrestrial beings.
Built in the span of three years from 1960-1963, the radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico put the island in the forefront of new science and technology. However as Cornell University was in possession of the telescope, that made this resource unattainable and inaccessible to the people of Puerto Rico that were eager to unlock the knowledge about this new entity. After Cornell released the telescope, more access to scientist, researchers, and students from Puerto Rico were able to interact and discover new possibilities with the telescope and the observatory.
This shift was extremely important, especially for the future of Puerto Rico’s children. Having access to this telescope and taking field trips to the observatory can excite the imaginations of children, put them in positions of having big dreams, and having the resources necessary to fulfill those dreams.
