Arecibo Observatory
The Arecibo Observatory is the home of one of the world’s largest radio telescopes, which is used to study the ionosphere and nearby planets as they pass overhead. Since its opening in 1963, this radio telescope has been in continuous operation and has made many significant scientific discoveries. And during your day trip to Puerto Rico, you can view this huge scientific instrument up close and personal. Once you arrive at the observatory, you’ll park in the parking lot, which is located below the exhibits and telescope. Be forewarned that you will have to walk up a fairly steep hill to get to the Observatory itself. The walkway is a combination of steps and an inclined sidewalk.
Once at the top, get your tickets and go in to start learning. The place has a ton of hands-on exhibits explaining and demonstrating how and why things happen in the galaxy. They have the exhibits broken into sections – some about the earth and solar system, the stars and galaxies, and others on tools and techniques used in studying these natural sciences. They even have some meteors on display.
Today, the telescope is used in the very important role of guarding human planet against the threat of asteroids. The Arecibo telescope has also played a key role in studying celestial events known as fast radio bursts which are split-second blasts of radio waves that appear in the sky and have traveled billions of light-years across the cosmos.
- Tripadvisor Rating: 4.5/5
- Website: https://www.naic.edu/ao
- Admission: $15 per person (all plus tax).
- Opening Hours: Daily 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
- Address: PR-625, Arecibo, 00612, Puerto Rico
