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The Lovell Telescope and its role in pulsar astronomy

Nature Astronomy volume 1, pages 835–840 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the commissioning of the 250-ft telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, and the 50th anniversary of the discovery of pulsars at Cambridge. Both events resulted in enduring astronomical researches that have become intimately entwined, and here we celebrate them with a brief historical account of their relationship. We describe how the completion of the telescope in October 1957 coincided with the launch of Sputnik 1 at the start of the space race, a timely circumstance that was the financial saviour of Bernard Lovell’s ambitious project. The telescope established a vital role in space tracking and, by the time that pulsars were discovered a decade later, was supported by an infrastructure that allowed their prompt, successful observation. Technical innovations to both the telescope and its receivers since then have continued to make it a superb tool for world-leading pulsar investigations and the study of the radio Universe.

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Fig. 1: Charles Husband and Bernard Lovell (right) in front of their creation, the 250-ft Mark 1 Telescope as it neared completion in June 1957.

Manchester Daily Express / SSPL / Getty Images.

Fig. 2: Recordings made at Jodrell Bank on 29 February 1968 of a series of single pulses from the first-discovered pulsar CP1919 (PSR B1919+21).

Ian Morison, University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank Observatory.

Fig. 3: The proper motions of pulsars relative to the Galactic plane.

reproduced from ref. 23, Oxford Univ. Press.

Fig. 4

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Andrew Lyne

  2. Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Ian Morison

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Correspondence to Andrew Lyne.

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Lyne, A., Morison, I. The Lovell Telescope and its role in pulsar astronomy. Nat Astron 1, 835–840 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-017-0292-0

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