Abstract :
The National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC), operated by Cornell University for the National Science Foundation, has its laboratory at Arecibo in Puerto Rico. The observatory´s main instrument is a radio/radar telescope that utilizes a giant reflector antenna 1,000 feet in diameter, the largest in the world by considerable margin. A 40th anniversary celebration of the 1963 inauguration of this observatory was held at the site in Puerto Rico on November 1, 2003. This paper discusses the development of the said antenna, its characteristics and the upgrading of the system. The paper includes a discussion of what transpired during the said anniversary celebration.
Keywords :
radiotelescopes; receiving antennas; reflector antenna feeds; 1000 feet; Arecibo Observatory; Cornell University; Gregorian feed dome; NAIC; National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center; National Science Foundation; Puerto Rico; giant reflector antenna; radar telescope; radio telescope; Feeds; History; Instruments; Ionosphere; Observatories; Radar antennas; Radar scattering; Radio astronomy; Reflector antennas; Surface cleaning;
