City/Regions: Arecibo. America's ear and eyes are foused on the stars from the island of Puerto Rico. In the northwest mountains of the island about 90 minutes drive west of San Juan, among the Karst Country hills, is one of the most important astronomical research facilities on earth, the Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory. Its massive dish is larger in area than a dozen football fields and is sited in a sinkhole, aimed at the heavens and tuned to detect the slightest sounds emitted from the farthest stars. This is the home base for NASA's 'SETI' (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intellingence) project and as such holds great fascination for visitors. A Visitors Center is equipped with interactive exhibits to demostrate how the huge structure works. Visitors can hike to he viewing platform to view the vast tiled dish.

Website: www.naic.edu

Hours: Wednesday to Friday 12pm to 4pm, weekends and most holidays 9am to 4pm.

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