Telescope

The Telescope is a late-game research and mission-support building used to learn starmaps and conduct rocket missions. It is one of the structures required for advancing space-related progress, and its placement matters because it must remain visible to function properly.

A Telescope’s visibility is determined only by the space directly above its top and the tiles above that. The relevant check area is asymmetric: it extends 5 tiles to the left and 2 tiles to the right. Any reduction in light level from tiles, gas, or liquid in that area, including Window Tile, lowers visibility by 9% per step. Open Airlocks, Pneumatic Doors, Airflow Tiles, and Mesh Tiles do not reduce visibility.

If visibility reaches 0%, the Telescope will not receive oxygen or a Duplicant operator. Operating it requires oxygen at a constant rate of 100 g/s. However, if oxygen runs out, the Duplicant’s work is not interrupted, obstructed, or stopped by suffocation, so the task can continue even when the operator is no longer being supplied normally.

Because of this, the Telescope is best placed in a clear, open area with unobstructed access to the sky above it. Roof structures, liquids, and solid blocks that fall within its visibility check can reduce efficiency, while open pass-through tiles can be used without penalty. In practice, players usually reserve a dedicated, highly open space for the Telescope so it can be kept at maximum visibility while remaining easy to staff.