May 15th, 2024.
NSF announced a pilot phase and an anticipated opening date of Arecibo C3 at the site of
the Arecibo Observatory Historic District. For more information, see the official website of
Arecibo C3.
Sep 25th, 2023.
NSF announced an investment of over $5 million over five-years for a collaborative
partnership between three higher education institutions and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
to establish a new multidisciplinary, educational center at the Arecibo Observatory site
in Puerto Rico. According to an NSF press release, the new center, the Arecibo Center for
Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Science Education, Computational Skills, and Community
Engagement (Arecibo C3), will serve as a catalyst for increased and inclusive engagement
in a broad range of science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines,
cutting-edge research and workforce development initiatives by students, teachers,
researchers, local communities and the public within and outside of Puerto Rico.
Nov 18th, 2022.
The Congress Asks for NSF to Reconsider AO's future in two letters. The letter by Jenniffer González Colón's office can be found here
A copy of the Letter from the Senate (Blumenthal, Menendez, and Warren) can be found here . See the front page for ASAP's response to NSF's reply.
Oct 30th, 2022.
Despite powerful worldwide support for continued science at AO, NSF
calls solely for an Arecibo Education Center.
See ASAP's Media Release on this matter in English
and Spanish,
or a two-page Summary Media Release in English
and Spanish.
Jun 1st, 2022.
Please see our Letter of Request
to the NSF regarding their late decision on the Arecibo Observatory's future.
May 3rd, 2022.
Strong support for a future Arecibo Observatory in the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey!
See our press release on ASAP's response to the Decadal Survey in English and Spanish .
Please spread the word over social media about all things Arecibo, using the hashtags #ElObservatorioRenace, #AreciboScience, and #AreciboReborn!
A summary of ASAP's summer 2022 news, including passing of the AO Resolution in the Senate, announcements on upcoming events, and more can be found in our latest newsletter
On Dec. 3, 2021, Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón introduced a bill in the house and Sen. Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill in the Senate , in support of the Arecibo Observatory! This bipartisan Resolution recognizes the significant scientific, educational, and economic contributions made by the Arecibo Observatory telescope, and encourages funding agencies to determine the most appropriate way to replace the scientific capabilities that were lost at the observatory.
You can find the House Resolution here
and the Senate Resolution here
See below for more information on a letter writing campaign to reach out to your representatives to support the resolution!
House Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colón (Republican from Puerto Rico) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (Democrat from CT) introduced a bill in the House and the Senate, respectively in support of the Arecibo Observatory which encourages the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other agencies to "study means of replacing the scientific capabilities that were lost at the Arecibo Observatory, utilizing new state-of-the-art technologies at the site."
You can find links to the press release and resolutions at the top of this webpage.
We ask that you contact your Senators and Representatives to urge them to support this important effort.
You can find out who your representatives are by going to
this page
and your Senators by going to
this page
We provide a sample letter below that you can personalize as needed.
You can feel free to use this when Advocating for Arecibo - please personalize!
Dear Senator XXX or Representative XXX,
I am a XXX at XXX and a resident of XXX in XXX. I am writing to you today
to ask that you support the resolutions that have been introduced by
Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón and Sen. Richard Blumenthal in support of the
Arecibo Observatory.
The Arecibo Observatory, a National Science Foundation (NSF) facility
located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, suffered a devastating loss when its main
instrument, the 305-meter radar/radio telescope, collapsed on December
1st, 2020. For nearly 60 years, the Arecibo Observatory made
ground-breaking scientific contributions to the fields of astronomical,
planetary, and atmospheric sciences. It was also at the heart of extensive
public outreach and science education programs that inspired thousands of
students in Puerto Rico and the U.S. to pursue careers in science and
engineering.
Astronomical research at Arecibo has a rich history of enhancing our
understanding of the universe. The first planets outside our solar system
were detected at Arecibo, and observations of the first known double
neutron star system led to the awarding of the 1993 Nobel Prize in
Physics. The Observatory was also host to the world’s most powerful and
sensitive planetary radar system, which was central to NASA's efforts to
accomplish its Congressionally-mandated mission to identify all
potentially hazardous asteroids (i.e., Near-Earth Objects). And, the
Observatory had the unique ability to study the upper atmosphere at
altitudes ranging from about 60 to 2500 km, making key contributions to
our understanding of the interactions between the Sun's magnetic field and
the Earth's atmosphere.
The Observatory is home to the Angel Ramos Foundation Science & Visitor
Center, which welcomed nearly 100,000 visitors a year, and supported
Science Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) education at all
levels throughout Puerto Rico and beyond. The Visitor Center's programs,
along with the Observatory's long standing Research Experiences for
Undergraduates summer program, have motivated many students from all over
the U.S. and Puerto Rico to pursue degrees in a wide range of science and
engineering fields. In fact, it was a XXX
experience at Arecibo that convinced me to pursue a career in XXX.
The resolution acknowledges the importance for science and education that
the the Arecibo Observatory has had for Puerto Rico, the nation, and the
world, and encourages the NSF and other agencies to study means of
replacing the scientific capabilities that were lost at the Arecibo
Observatory, utilizing new state-of-the-art technologies at the site.
I ask that you please support this bipartisan effort.