Building the Future of Astronomy: The Next Generation Arecibo Telescope

Astronomers are proposing a new design for the Arecibo Telescope, which collapsed in 2020. The Next Generation Arecibo Telescope would replace the single dish with an array of 102 13-meter dishes arranged in a fixed circular array, allowing it to function as a highly sensitive single dish. The array design would also allow Arecibo to be steerable and significantly lighter and easier to maintain than the original design. The proposed design is a compromise plan that tries to maintain many of the advantages of a large single dish while introducing a more flexible design similar to an array telescope.