With the largest radio deflector dish in the world at about 1,000 feet, the Arecibo Radio Telescope is known throughout the world as a place where scientific dreams are made. Build in the 1950's by an association of Cornell University and the National Science Foundation, the telescope has not only been used to study space and our solar system, but countless discoveries about our atmosphere, Near Earth Objects and our galaxy, the Milky Way.

As part of this year's celebrations, the Arecibo administration has several activies planned for visitors, starting with a chat at 6:00pm today saturday august 10th about habitable planets by Professor Abel Mndez of the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo. Along with the chat you will enjoy several resources specially material about the Perseid Meteor Shower, which will peak tomorrow sunday the 11th.

The admission fee for all events is $4.

A legacy in Puerto Rican hands

After years of administration by the University of Cornell, the Observatory is now administered in part by the Universidad Metropolitana de Puerto Rico (UMET), marking the first time in history that the observatory is administered by a local organization. After bidding with other world-class educational institutions, the UMET won a bid to manage the Observatory, giving local Puerto Rican scientists and students a unique opportunity to use one of the most important scientific instruments in the world.

For more information about the events planned for this weekend, check out the page for the Arecibo Observatory at www.naic.edu or call (787) 878-2612.