Lead
Since the last century, human exploration of the universe has become more and more in-depth, and all of this is often inseparable from the application of various high-tech equipment, after all, under the gray night sky, the scope of human vision is limited, and many mysteries of the universe are hidden among the stars of the universe.
Therefore, in order to better engage in astronomical scientific research, countries have invested a lot of energy and funds, and the inspiring spirit behind it is "exploring the unknown and pursuing excellence".
It is in this spirit that we see today's radio telescope equipment, not only for telescopes, but also for other scientific research fields.
Their role is to reveal the mysteries and laws of the universe by collecting and processing data and information.
And among these instruments, the Arecibo telescope is undoubtedly a very important existence.
But unfortunately, just when it was gradually being taken seriously, a sudden hurricane destroyed it, although the facility was destroyed by natural disasters, but relevant experts believed that it could be rebuilt, but due to various reasons in the country where it is located, it did not get the opportunity to rebuild, which also made many astronomy enthusiasts feel sorry.
Relatively speaking, China's "eye in the sky" has gradually turned into a ray of cold frost with a glimmer of hope, so what is its charm and worth exploring? And what are the factors that caused the American Arecibo telescope to be abandoned?
A sign of the astronomical revolution.
When it comes to radio telescope equipment, we have to say that the Arecibo radio telescope has its credit, after all, the new phenomena that have emerged in the last century have its credit.
Since its launch in 1963, the Arecibo telescope has been in the spotlight for its outstanding performance and characteristics.
Compared with relying purely on astronomical observation instruments, especially with the naked eye and optical telescopes, the birth of the Arecibo radio telescope is undoubtedly a technological revolution.
After all, in people's subconscious, observing the starry sky is to gaze at the bright stars and look up at the vast sky in countless nights, and its romance can be imagined.
But its biggest problem is not only that the naked eye is more sensitive to light, that is, it can only be observed on planets with strong light, but also for planets with weak light, especially those far from the field of vision, it is a "blind spot".
Therefore, when the Arecibo telescope became the "new favorite" in the eyes of people, it undoubtedly became an important tool for mankind in radio astronomy.
Its breakthrough lies in the fact that its aperture is much larger than that of ordinary astronomical telescopes, and the emission of electromagnetic waves such as radio is equivalent to turning on the "no light" mode, which is undoubtedly a benefit for weak planets.
For example, in the 70s of the last century, through the discovery of the Arecibo telescope, people learned that Cygnus A was a radio source, although this seems ordinary today, but at that time, the technology in astronomy was relatively lagging behind, and there was no Arecibo telescope, let alone mortals who knew astronomy.
Since its inception, the Arecibo telescope has been continuously upgraded, which makes it stand out from the crowd of radio observation devices.
From the initial 300-meter caliber to the current 500-meter aperture, although to the naked eye, it is only about 200 meters away, but the range of whether people can observe them is completely different.
Later, in 2000, the United States spent an additional 100 million dollars to expand the device again, and after that, the Arecibo telescope became the world's largest aperture radio telescope at that time.
But alas, before its "glory" could come, a shocking disaster destroyed it.
It can be said that it is a symbol of an astronomical revolution and has written an insurmountable stroke in the cosmic wilderness, but its "pattern" does not seem to be over, compared with the "eye of the sky" in China, which came out later, it seems to be a little overshadowed.
A moment of American greatness.
In the eyes of ordinary people, if the profession of an astronomer can be described in one sentence, it is "destined to work hard and be lonely alone".
The reason behind this is not only that not only is his work not "9 to 5" like most people, but also that if an astronomer lies there for months because of a sudden curiosity, the whole person will be drowned in dust, which seems to be very hard, right?
And astronomers also suffer from loneliness that is difficult for ordinary people to understand, so few of us apply for this profession, and it is precisely for this reason that there is a large number of talents in the world and a lack of talents, so the "eye in the sky" in the United States is very sought-after and has a high reputation in the world.
Unfortunately, in September 2017, Hurricane Maria swept through the region, destroying the radio telescope despite the best efforts of the local government and people to fight the floods.
This undoubtedly makes many people feel a piece of grief, after all, such a great tool, just gone, but its "end" obviously can not end there, because its importance is beyond ordinary people's imagination, so there are many experts dedicated to escorting it.
But incredibly, the Arecibo radio telescope was thought to be rebuilt, but in the end the U.S. government chose to abandon it, and for a while, this decision seemed to lift a layer of fog, and many people have been controversing ever since.
After all, every renovation is a national effort, and it took several years, and the misfortune that it was destroyed should be considered a natural disaster, but this decision to abandon the reconstruction for the second time has undoubtedly made many people feel discouraged.
Although compared to China's "Sky Eye", its functionality seems to have lagged behind, but after all, it is the American Arrecibo, a 43-year-old existence, which not only has special importance in the field of scientific research, but also a symbol of human civilization.
Is China's "Sky Eye" irreplaceable?
When it comes to China's "eye in the sky", including Sanmao's once sentence "I heard that there is an astronomical telescope with a diameter of 500 meters, placed in Beijing City can cover almost the entire core area, and the light will shine on it, it will form a pillar of light, but there is no big one inside", it seems that as long as it is Chinese, the small video of the Divine Comedy that does not leave the mouth can't help but hype ah?
I believe that before this, not many people knew that the mainland had built the world's largest spherical radio telescope, and there were two reasons for this, one was because its nickname was not enough to bluff people, and it was right to call it "Sky Eye", but compared to its huge body, this name is really a bit modest;
Another reason is that the site of its construction has not been done, this time the location was chosen in the vast Liangshan area, not a door, but a rare place on the earth in the excellent terrain.
Moreover, here, everyone is familiar with Acre getting off, and it is a very ironic place, Asika, Arka will make this the best place for China's "Sky Eye", what kind of coincidence is this?
In fact, the reason is very simple, the large open area has become an excellent area for building "Eye in the Sky" according to unbelievable preferences such as finding the length of the body and measuring the depth of the water.
And the birth of this scientific and technological masterpiece also makes people look forward to its strength.
What is the charm of it, which can make this core equipment in the field of astronomy a glimmer of hope, after all, the Arecibo telescope has withstood the test of time and was abandoned, so what kind of mystery is hidden in this "eye of the sky"?
From its comparison, it is not difficult to find that it not only surpasses the Arecibo telescope in terms of aperture, but also has a huge advantage in stability and scientific research capabilities.
After nearly five years of commissioning, it is now ready for normal observations.
In 2016, it unveiled the true face of this huge radio telescope for the first time through its collaboration with a waveform data provider, and in the future, in what areas will it explore the mysteries of the universe for mankind?
epilogue
Although we have not yet explored the end of the universe, the existing equipment and technology have provided enough hope for human exploration of the universe.
Clearly, it has already taken shape, and it will lead people to promising and new uncharted territory.
With the continuous development of science and technology, it is believed that more advanced observation equipment will appear in the future, providing more possibilities and breakthroughs for human exploration of the universe.
Therefore, people should still be relieved of the "passing" of the Arecibo radio telescope, because no one device can complete the journey of space exploration alone, whether it was past or present, and their role is only to help people better start this long and magnificent journey.