Mexican astronomy enthusiasts set Guinness record

Puebla: Mexican astronomy enthusiasts set a Guinness record over the weekend by simultaneously pointing 2,978 telescopes at the Moon from different parts of the country, organizers said.

The greatest number of telescopes - 316 - were set up in the vestibule of the cathedral in the central Mexican state of Puebla, and all focused on the Moon at the same time, the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics, or INAOE, researcher Raul Mujica said. Joining in the feat was the Large Millimeter Telescope, the biggest radio telescope in the world in its range of frequencies, located on the Sierra Negra Volcano between the states of Puebla and Veracruz. For several minutes it directed its antenna, measuring 50 meters in diameter, toward the Earth`s natural satellite. The enterprise was carried out as part of the celebrations for the International Year of Water Cooperation declared by the UN General Assembly for the year 2013. On this occasion, Mexico broke the record it previously set in 2011 when space enthusiasts and astronomers set up 2,753 telescopes in all the states of the country to observe the Moon simultaneously. IANS