The legacy of what was once the largest radio telescope in the world continues in a new film by a Puerto Rican film maker.

SAN JUAN – A huge, already damaged radio telescope in Puerto Rico that has played a key role in astronomical discoveries for more than half a century completely collapsed on Tuesday. An auxiliary cable snapped in August, causing a 100-foot gash on the 1,000-foot-wide (305-meter-wide) dish and damaged the receiver platform that hung above it. The collapse stunned many scientists who had relied on what was until recently the largest radio telescope in the world. “It's a huge loss,” said Carmen Pantoja, an astronomer and professor at the University of Puerto Rico who used the telescope for her doctorate. “I am one of those students who visited it when young and got inspired,” said Abel Méndez, a physics and astrobiology professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo who has used the telescope for research.

The world’s second largest radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory is on the verge of collapse following two structural support cables mysteriously snapping and will be be decommissioned as soon as possible, officials with the National Science Foundation announced Thursday. [TRENDING: County prepares for vaccine | Remote learning continues in spring | ‘We’re failing:’ Mayors call for COVID-19 action]The University of Central Florida manages the observatory for the National Science Foundation. While some of the facility will remain operational the telescope was the most well-known part of Arecibo and had operated for 57 years. “There’s thousands of people that have a story that they can share with Arecibo,” Lugo said. Lugo described the outpouring from students who told the National Science Foundation of its importance to them.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 file photo, provided by the Arecibo Observatory, shows the damage done by a broken cable that supported a metal platform, creating a 100-foot (30-meter) gash to the radio telescope's reflector dish in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. (Arecibo Observatory via AP)SAN JUAN – The National Science Foundation announced Thursday that it will close the huge telescope at the renowned Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in a blow to scientists worldwide who depend on it to search for planets, asteroids and extraterrestrial life. The independent, federally funded agency said it’s too dangerous to keep operating the single dish radio telescope -- one of the world’s largest -- given the significant damage it recently sustained. An auxiliary cable broke in August and tore a 100-foot hole in the reflector dish and damaged the dome above it. Then on Nov. 6, one of the telescope’s main steel cables snapped, leading officials to warn that the entire structure could collapse.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 file photo, provided by the Arecibo Observatory, shows the damage done by a broken cable that supported a metal platform, creating a 100-foot (30-meter) gash to the radio telescope's reflector dish in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. It’s a blow for the telescope that more than 250 scientists around the world were using. The telescope was built in the 1960s and financed by the Defense Department amid a push to develop anti-ballistic missile defenses. Repairs from Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, were still underway when the first cable snapped. The most recent damage was likely the result of the cable degrading over time and carrying extra weight after the auxiliary cable snapped, the university said.

The Arecibo Observatory, located in Puerto Rico, was damaged Aug. 10 when an auxiliary cable, designed to last up to 40 years, broke away from one of the observatory’s structural towers. The University of Central Florida manages the National Science Foundation-owned facility, along with Universidad Ana G. Mendez and Yang Enterprises. “And that’s why the analysis is key to the safety plan.”Once the National Science Foundation is sent the analysis the damaged cable and socket will be removed soon after. “We know the process is taking a long time and we are eager to begin repairs,”Arecibo Observatory Director Francisco Cordova said. UCF and Arecibo plan to provide updates when plans for major milestones of the project are determined.

The University of Central Florida manages the National Science Foundation facility, along with Universidad Ana G. Mendez and Yang Enterprises. The reflective dish of the Observatory is one of the largest in the world at 1,000 feet in diameter and 167 feet deep. For years Arecibo was also the largest telescope but earlier this year China opened its FAST Observatory, which spans more than 1,600 feet. Damage to the Arecibo Observatory collecting dish after a cable snapped on Aug. 10,2020. While research from Arecibo will still go on because there is still new data to analyze, the Observatory notified all scientists that new observation time would be put on hold.

Arecibo Observatory, the most powerful telescope in the world, located in Puerto Rico, was damaged Monday after a cable snapped and tore a large hole in the telescopes reflector dish. The University of Central Florida manages the National Science Foundation facility, along with Universidad Ana G. Mendez and Yang Enterprises. Located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, the telescope was still undergoing repairs from Hurricane Marie in 2017. From the bridge of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. The damaged Observatory will be a huge blow to the radio astronomy community and scientists who rely on it for research in understanding the universe.