World Art Utopia

Arecibo Telescope — William E. Gordon, Arecibo

The Arecibo radio telescope’s huge dish in a green valley with its receiver platform hanging from cables above
Artwork FileArecibo, Puerto Rico

Arecibo Telescope

Gone2020

William E. Gordon (Cornell) · radio telescope, 1963 · Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Photo: EgorovaSvetlana / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), taken 1 April 2009, as published on Street Art Utopia.

The Arecibo Telescope was a 305-metre (1,000 ft) radio dish in Puerto Rico, built in 1963 under the initiative of Cornell engineering professor William Gordon. It was the backdrop for the climactic action scene of the James Bond film GoldenEye (1995), and its platform collapsed into the dish on 1 December 2020. Source Source Source Source Checked

Gone 2020: the 900-ton receiver platform fell into the 305-metre dish on 1 December 2020. In October 2022 the NSF said it would not rebuild the reflector, and in January 2026 the Arecibo C3 education centre was preparing to open at the former observatory site. Source Source Source Checked

More photos

The Arecibo Telescope’s receiver platform seen from beneath the dish, through its metal mesh screen
2018 Platform seen from under the dishPhoto: Juan.Alcaide231 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Arecibo Telescope dish during demolition in December 2021, after its platform fell into it
2021 Wrecked dish during demolitionPhoto: Tedder / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

💡 4 things to know

  1. A Bond finale backdrop
    Cornell says the telescope served as the backdrop for a climactic action scene in GoldenEye; NBC/AP and ABC also name the film. Source Source Source Checked
  2. Cornell’s giant dish
    Built in 1963 under the initiative of Cornell professor William Gordon, it was managed by Cornell until 2011. Source Source Checked
  3. Collapse in 2020
    After cable failures from August 2020, the 900-ton receiver platform fell onto the dish early on 1 December 2020. Source Source Checked
  4. Zinc creep to blame
    A National Academies report (2024) found long-term zinc creep in the cable sockets was the root cause of the collapse. Source Reported

📍 Where it is

Arecibo Observatory in the karst hills near Esperanza, Arecibo, on the north coast of Puerto Rico; the site is being developed as the Arecibo C3 education centre (pilot programmes running, visitor centre planned to open in 2026, per News is my Business, January 2026). Source Source Checked

Open in Maps

Map pin 18.3442, -66.7528, approximate, from this source. The button opens a plain map.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 1963

    Opened as an ionospheric observatory

  2. 20091 Apr

    Dish and platform photographed

  3. 201815 May

    Platform photographed from below

  4. 202019 Nov

    NSF to decommission the telescope

  5. 20201 Dec

    Platform falls into the dish

  6. 202128 Dec

    Wrecked dish during demolition

  7. 202213 Oct

    NSF: reflector won’t be rebuilt

  8. 202612 Jan

    C3 education centre nears opening

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.

🗞️ In the sources

Cornell Chronicle19 November 2020

Famed Arecibo Observatory faces collapse; NSF to decommission telescope

“serving as the backdrop for a climactic action scene in the James Bond film, “GoldenEye.””

Read the source →

ABC News (Australia)2 December 2020

Arecibo Observatory telescope collapses in Puerto Rico

“its 900-ton receiver platform fell onto the reflector dish below”

Read the source →

Space.com13 October 2022

Fallen Arecibo Observatory telescope won’t be rebuilt despite scientists’ hopes

“NSF currently has no plans to re-build the primary 305-meter reflector.”

Read the source →

✅ The facts

Initiated by
William E. Gordon, Cornell electrical engineering professor Source Source Checked
Opened
1963 (official opening 1 November 1963 per Wikipedia) Source Source Source Checked
Dish
305 m (1,000 ft) wide Source Source Source Checked
Film
GoldenEye (1995), climactic action scene Source Source Source Checked
Collapsed
1 December 2020 Source Source Checked
Cause
Long-term zinc creep in cable sockets, per National Academies report Source Reported
Site now
Not rebuilt (NSF, Oct 2022); being developed as the Arecibo C3 STEM education centre; visitor centre planned to open in 2026 (January 2026 report) Source Source Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: 9 November 2026. How we verify art