Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
My letter appears in The Times today
Attachments:
I have sent the following letter to The Times:
Sir,
The announcement that Jodrell Bank Observatory faces closure because of the withdrawal of scientific funding is deeply concerning for the future of UK science.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of Bernard Lovell’s pioneering radar meteor experiments at Jodrell Bank, work that laid the foundations of a world-leading centre for radio astronomy. Today, Jodrell Bank remains at the heart of the e-MERLIN network of radio telescopes. Its loss would seriously undermine the UK’s ability to undertake world-class astronomical research and diminish our international scientific standing.
As a volunteer at Jodrell Bank, I also see its wider value. Around 186,000 people visit the Discovery Centre each year, including thousands of schoolchildren. By engaging young people with science in the unique setting of a working observatory, Jodrell Bank inspires many to consider careers in science, engineering and technology.
I urge the Government and funding agencies to reconsider this decision. Protecting Jodrell Bank is an investment not only in scientific discovery, but in the skills, innovation and scientific workforce on which Britain’s future prosperity depends.
Yours faithfully,
…….
Trustee, The British Astronomical Association
The announcement also mentions that e-MERLIN – the network of radiotelescopes across England, which includes the Lovell telescope – will also stop.
More in the Grauniad.
Scant detail in the UKRI announcement: https://www.ukri.org/news/stfc-details-outcomes-for-future-physics-projects/
Never mind the lack of a science minister Steve, where’s the King of the North?
Tabby’s star still generates interest as shown by the MNRAS preprint on ArXix today” Evidence for a giant companion orbiting Tabby’s star.
The authors suggest the presence of a companion, either a giant planet or a brown dwarf, around the star. An earlier theory is that a group of exocomets or planetesimal fragments are responsible for the irregular and non-periodic dips in the light curve of Tabby’s star. The presence of a companion would explain why incoming exocometary bodies may result from orbital perturbations by a planet.
PS: still no Dyson Spheres!
This has now received the permanent GCVS designation of V2104 Aql: http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iau/cbet/005700/CBET005711.txt
Great to have you on board Sonia. I look forward to meeting you.
There is great interest in equipment and techniques amongst our Members, not least with the increasing use of smart scopes.
I wish you well as Director and I look forward to seeing your Section flourish. Do let me know if I can help in any way.
An ApJL paper on ArXiv today, ‘Pre-nova Observations of T CrB: A view from the CHARA Array’, reports measurement of the red giant’s pre-eruption diameter as 0.64–0.74 mas.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.17272‘The first hours and days of the 2021 explosion of the recurrent symbiotic nova RS Ophiuchii‘ is the title of an ApJ submission on ArXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.13202
They explore its early evolution from 9 hours before its optical maximum until day 42.
During 1946, Lovell acquired an ex-military searchlight to use its strong altazimuth mount to direct Yagi aerials to any point in the sky. This formed the basis of the Searchlight Aerial that he used to study study the Giabcobinid meteor storm of October 1946.
Lovell needed timber to build the support for the Yagi array, but timber was on strict rationing post war. He described how he found the owner of a water powered saw mill in a neighbouring village who was only too happy to supply the timber. Forty years later, Lovell was still waiting for the bill – it never came, but by then his grandson was by then working as an electronics technician at Jodrell.
Today I have located that mill in Peover Superior, Cheshire. Long since disused, it is in an very beautiful spot on the Peover Eye stream.
Attachments:
Thanks for the feedback, Alex (literary rather than audio!). Sorry to hear about the poor sound.
Interesting that Tim was easier to hear. He raised the dais just before his talk. Unbeknownst to the rest of us, there is a button to raise and lower the dais). I suspect that brought the mics closer to him.
We need to check in future whether the dais mics themselves can be turned up.Eighty years ago today, 2 June 1946, was the first meeting between researchers at the new radar station at Jodrell Bank and Manning Prentice, Director of the BAA Meteor Section. This would soon lead to a fruitful collaboration on meteor astronomy between Bernard Lovell and Manning Prentice.
More in my talk at the BAA meeting tomorrow.
One of my cherished possessions is the 1938 classic book Variable Stars by Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin and Sergei Gaposchkin. It was kindly given to me by Alan Dowdell. It had previously been part of the BAA Library when we had one. What makes it extra special is that it is the publisher’s review copy which my predecessor as VSS Director, WM Lindley, used to write his review for the Journal.
I was pleased to represent the British Astronomical Association at the unveiling of Blue Plaque in honour of Celia Payne-Gaposchkin. Report and pics in the next Journal.
Speakers included Prof Michele Dougherty (Astronomer Royal), Prof Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Dr Shini Somara, a representative from Harvard University, and students from St Paul’s Girl’s School. They spoke very powerfully about the barriers Celia had to overcome during her career.
It was at a BAA meeting in London that Celia was introduced to Harlow Shapley who was in charge of Harvard College Observatory. Their ensuing discussion led to her PhD at Harvard.
The person that introduced Celia to Shapley was Leslie Comrie. He knew Celia at Cambridge and was encouraging her interest in variable stars as well as to explore opportunities in USA. Comrie was Director of the BAA Computing Section (the first one, fact)
