The Arecibo Observatory, a massive telescope in Puerto Rico that has been used in many astronomical discoveries, has unfortunately collapsed. The 900-ton received platform fell more than 400 feet onto the reflector dish, and while it was already previously damaged and in rough shape, it is now completely destroyed. It all stems from an auxiliary cable that snapped in August, which damaged the receiving platform above the reflector dish (via NBC). Then another cable, this time a main cable, snapped in November. Those who watched James Bond’s Goldeneye will remember the Observatory from an action-packed sequence that saw the destruction of it, though it was just for show. Now, unfortunately, the observatory is really gone, and that’s brought up the sequence from Goldeneye as a hot topic on social media.
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The Observatory also made an appearance in 1997’s Contact, and in addition to the Goldeneye film was also the last level in the classic Nintendo 64 game, and many are sharing images of levels and the box art for the game in response to the news.
You can see some of the reactions coming in for the films and the games below.
“The Arecibo Observatory was a location in two recognizable films: GoldenEye (1995) and Contact (1997).”
The Arecibo Observatory was a location in two recognizable films: GoldenEye (1995) and Contact (1997). pic.twitter.com/I5XtAHUZ5c
โ Film Posersโข๏ธ (@FilmPosers) December 1, 2020
“Yes, of course Arecibo was already damaged, because Trevelyan fell on it.
#Goldeneye”
Yes, of course Arecibo was already damaged, because Trevelyan fell on it.#Goldeneye pic.twitter.com/XwV7C14dXt
โ Aaron Chavez (@aaron_j_chavez) December 1, 2020
“RIP to the best level in Goldeneye 64”
RIP to the best level in Goldeneye 64 https://t.co/I0d0Z2fcEH
โ Charlie Gile (@CharlieGileNBC) December 1, 2020
“Goldeneye/Battlefield 4 jokes aside it’s sad seeing the Arecibo Observatory, a strange and magnificent structure, meet such an untimely demise. Frowning face”
Goldeneye/Battlefield 4 jokes aside it’s sad seeing the Arecibo Observatory, a strange and magnificent structure, meet such an untimely demise. โน๏ธ https://t.co/A35adDbo1q
โ Christian Johannesรฉn (@phatseejay) December 1, 2020
The U.S. National Science Foundation released an official statement, saying “NSF is saddened by this development. As we move forward, we will be looking for ways to assist the scientific community and maintain our strong relationship with the people of Puerto Rico.”