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Space & Astronomy

Sir Bernard Lovell dies aged 98

By T.K. Randall
August 10, 2012 · Comment icon 11 comments

Image Credit: Mike Peel
The pioneering physicist and astronomer was regarded as one of the great visionary leaders of science.
Lovell's best known work was on the construction of the famous Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope in 1957, at the time the only telescope able to track objects in space. Within days of its completion it was used to track the rocket that carried Russia's Sputnik I satellite in to orbit. Even today the telescope remains in operation and has played an important role in everything from the study of pulsars to testing Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

"He had the boldness and self-confidence to conceive a giant radio telescope, and the persistence to see it through to completion, despite the risk of bankruptcy," said Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees. "What is even more remarkable is that, more than 50 years later, this instrument (after several upgrades) is still doing 'frontier' science."[!gad]Lovell's best known work was on the construction of the famous Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope in 1957, at the time the only telescope able to track objects in space. Within days of its completion it was used to track the rocket that carried Russia's Sputnik I satellite in to orbit. Even today the telescope remains in operation and has played an important role in everything from the study of pulsars to testing Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

"He had the boldness and self-confidence to conceive a giant radio telescope, and the persistence to see it through to completion, despite the risk of bankruptcy," said Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees. "What is even more remarkable is that, more than 50 years later, this instrument (after several upgrades) is still doing 'frontier' science."
Pioneering astronomer and physicist Sir Bernard Lovell has died aged 98. Sir Bernard, who was born near Bristol and studied in the city, was the founder of University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory.


Source: BBC News | Comments (11)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #2 Posted by stevewinn 12 years ago
sad news. hopefully they have a piece on this or next months sky at night for him.
Comment icon #3 Posted by Waspie_Dwarf 12 years ago
sad news. hopefully they have a piece on this or next months sky at night for him. No doubt, he was a regular contributor. With Sir Bernard we will not have to build a monument to his memory, he built his own, in the Cheshire country side in 1957.
Comment icon #4 Posted by jgorman628 12 years ago
Loss of a great. His contributions to astronomy will never be forgotten.
Comment icon #5 Posted by StarMountainKid 12 years ago
I remember him from reading about astronomy when I was kid.
Comment icon #6 Posted by 27vet 12 years ago
RIP Sir!
Comment icon #7 Posted by brothers 12 years ago
Its nice to see great person like him to live a nice old age. Hopefully he was still all in there in his mind.
Comment icon #8 Posted by csspwns 12 years ago
how sad. at least he made history so he'll be remembered
Comment icon #9 Posted by ThatDude 12 years ago
Death comes to all of us eventually.
Comment icon #10 Posted by TheLastLazyGun 12 years ago
Manchester University's Lovell Telescope, the world's third-largest steerable satellite dish (it was the largest when it was built in 1957) - which I went to see as a kid in 1991 - is named after him.
Comment icon #11 Posted by Darkwind 12 years ago
Hail and Farewell... He was a brilliant man.


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