Daily Image
23-08-2007
Lang zal ze leven... - the Lovell telescope at 50.
| Submitter: | Michael Garrett |
| Description: | When the Dwingeloo 25-metre radio telescope was completed in 1956, it was the largest steerable radio telescope in the world. Just as today, radio astronomy was enjoying a period of rapid development, and by July 1957, the giant 250-ft (76-metre) Jodrell Bank radio telescope (now renamed the Lovell telescope) made its first tentative observations of the sky. The images located at the top of the figure presented, represent a (random and somewhat personalised) pictorial history of Jodrell, including the original construction of the telescope and the recent surface upgrades (1970 and 2002). To mark the telescope's 50th anniversary, an informal re-union of former staff and students was held (see bottom of figure). During the mid-1950's, this huge project was heavily in debt (to the tune of ~ 250k GBP!) - Jodrell's first director (Sir Bernard Lovell) was close to being imprisoned and thrown in jail! The successful launch of Sputnik, and the dawn of the space-age, changed all that. The great telescope was the only instrument of its day, that could detect Sputnik's carrier rocket (a modified ICBM), and throughout the 1960's, Jodrell was usually first with news and de-coded pictures of each new achievement of the then, largely closed, Soviet space programme. The telescope also served as part of the US and UK missile defence radar facilities during the cold war (including the period of the Cuban missile crisis). In a sense, the Lovell telescope might claim to be the first multi-disciplinary radio instrument, long before such claims were fashionable! Sir Bernard Lovell was very much at the centre of last month's 50th birthday party celebration - now 94, his eye-sight is poor but he is still in good health - he gave an excellent speech without notes. Sir Bernard joined all four of his successors (Sir Francis Graham-Smith, Profs. Davies, Lyne and Diamond) on the podium. With a combined age of ~ 365 years, it's clear that being director of JBO is good for one's health! |
| Copyright: | ASTRON |
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