Arecibo Observatory
Hidden by the surrounding mountains along the North-Western area of Puerto Rico, lies the Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory. It was built in 1960, and is funded yearly by a $7.5 Million grant from the National Science Foundation. These funds are managed by Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The “Dish” can be seen from a jumbo jet 33,000 feet in the air, but a map is needed to find its entrance on ground. Scientists from all over the world have visited there. In fact, because of the work that was done at the facility by two American astronomers, in 1993 Russell A. Hulse and Joseph H. Taylor, Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize in Physics, giving the dish world recognition. The Observatory is also famous from the movie “Contact” in which Jodie Foster plays the role of an astronomer searching for extra-terrestrial life.
