The Facility consists of approximately 10,000 square feet of building and outdoor space. It houses 3,500 square feet of exhibits, a 100-person auditorium, a science store, and appropriate meeting rooms and office space. It also provides an observation platform that offers a beautiful view of the 305-meter radio telescope. The new building is set dramatically against the region's karst landscape. It was designed by Luis Badillo AIA, of Mendez, Brunner, Badillo and Associates of San Juan, and built by Hector Varela Inc.

Auditorium

The auditorium of the this facility provides us the with the opportunity of hosting scientific and educational meetings at the Observatory. We welcome such events as they are sure to enhance the scientific climate of the Observatory. The auditorium, with its superb viewing geometry and good acoustics, can seat 99 persons and is equipped with a projection TV, large-screen PC, and overhead and slide projection system.

Tools and Technology

This section of the main exhibit depicts some of the tools and techniques used by scientists to study the earth's atmosphere and our surrounding universe. It includes an interactive model of the Arecibo radio telescope and a visual tour of the observatory.

Other exhibits provide hands-on experiences on the Doppler effect, light and color, the electromagnetic spectrum, and spectroscopy. The operation of the telescope, the optical laboratory and the HF facility are also described in this section.

The Earth and the Solar System

This exhibit area provides basic information about the planets, the sun, asteroids and comets. It includes a meteorite collection, a planetary orrery, an aerial map of Puerto Rico, and the "Powers of Ten" video presentation. The Earth exhibit describes the physical characteristics of our changing world (interior, surface and atmosphere), and the tools and techniques scientists use to study the planet.

The Work at Arecibo

The upper level focuses on the scientific work being done in Arecibo. It includes a description of the main research areas and a sample of related published papers. Descriptive panels include: Neutral Hydrogen, Molecular Line Emission, Pulsars, Continum Radio Astronomy, Planetary Radar, Atmospheric Sciences, SETI Construction of the Arecibo Telescope, Telescope Upgrades, among others.

This area also includes a pulsar model, a cloud machine and a light table.