A gigantic abandoned Soviet-era telescope nestled high in the Armenian mountains has been revealed in stunning detail in epic drone footage.

The massive Herouni Mirror Radio telescope is located about 1,700 meters above sea level near the town of Orgov, Armenia. Built between 1981 and 1985, it was thought to be one of the most powerful radio telescopes in the world at the time.

The impressive telescope is surrounded by abandoned buildings that were used to take radio measurements and conduct research. A peek inside reveals curious relics of that bygone age, intricate panels and control desks used to operate the then-state-of-the-art site.

Outside, decaying structures serve as an austere monument to the destructive forces of time as the environment increasingly batters and erodes the site.

The Herouni Mirror Radio telescope fell into disrepair after the end of the Soviet Union, but the National Institute of Metrology of Armenia, which now owns it, is currently looking for an investor to restore it.

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