80th anniversary of the first BAA meteor observations at Jodrell Bank

[Jeremy Shears]

In August 1946, an important collaboration began between Jodrell Bank and the BAA.

During the Perseid meteor shower of 1946, Bernard Lovell’s pioneering radar experiments at Jodrell Bank were accompanied by simultaneous visual observations made by two young BAA members, Gerald Stanley Hawkins (1928–2003) and Michael William Ovenden (1926–1987). Hawkins was an 18-year-old enjoying his long summer vacation having just left high school. Ovenden, aged 20, was already at University. Arrangements for their visits were made by Meteor Section Director, JPM Prentice.

During the nights before and after the maximum of the meteor shower on August 12, Hawkins and Ovenden provided the visual observations needed to compare the meteors they could see with the radar echoes being recorded at Jodrell Bank. This was an early and significant example of professional and amateur astronomers working together, combining the new technique of radar detection with the established skills of visual meteor observation.
Both Hawkins and Ovenden went on to distinguished astronomical careers.

Their participation in the 1946 Perseids is therefore a fascinating part of the early history of Jodrell Bank — which, just as today, provides an important springboard for future careers in science

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