HRH The Prince of Wales to visit Jodrell Bank Observatory
HRH The Prince of Wales will visit The University of Manchester’s Jodrell
Bank Observatory in Cheshire on Monday, 28 April 2003, to commemorate the
re-birth of its flagship Lovell Telescope following a major upgrade.
The 2.5 million pounds sterling three-year upgrade saw the replacement
of the 76-metre radio telescope’s reflecting surface, which is now in pristine
condition, and the installation of a new high-precision drive system.
Together this allows it to operate over a four times greater range of frequencies
so allowing exciting new science to be carried out at the forefront of
astronomical research.
The restored Lovell Telescope, which has become a landmark on the Cheshire
Plain since it was completed in 1957 by Sir Bernard Lovell, will continue
its world-class research studying the formation of stars and discovering
new pulsars in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and seek out faint radio
galaxies and quasars in the distant universe.
Sir Bernard, who will meet His Royal Highness during his visit, commented:
“When built, the Telescope had only been expected to have an operational
life of some 10 years. I am delighted that 45 years later, not only is it
still in daily use, but is capable of a far wider range of observations.
It is a truly magnificent achievement.”
In addition to its use as single instrument, the Telescope is a key
element of the UK’s MERLIN high resolution radio-imaging array, based at
Jodrell Bank, which routinely produces images of comparable quality than
those of the Hubble Space Telescope. It is also regularly linked to
telescopes across Europe and around the globe to make observations which
have the highest resolution in astronomy.
The MERLIN and VLBI National Facility is operated by The University of
Manchester on behalf of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research
Council (PPARC), who fund much of the research undertaken by the Telescope
and who have played a key role in the implementation of the upgrade.
Professor Ian Halliday, Chief Executive of PPARC said,
“UK astronomy has gone from strength to strength. It is remarkable that
the same national facility that enabled UK astronomers to make many
important discoveries in the past remains at the forefront of international
astronomical research in the future. Long may this continue.”
During his visit, HRH will also meet teachers and students of the Catholic
High School in Chester. The Observatory has links with the school and has
helped in their successful bid to become a specialist Science College.
For further information, contact Lisa McCarthy or Alan Ferns, Public
Relations, The University of Manchester on 0161 275 2112/2114; Gill
Ormrod, PPARC Press Office, 01793 442012, e-mail: gill.ormrod@pparc.ac.uk
Mobile: 0781 8013509.=20
For further information on attending the event, contact Eileen Jones, the
Government News Network, 0161 952 4501.
Images of the telescope can be found on the following web pages
www.jb.man.ac.uk/public/Lovimages.html
www.jb.man.ac.uk/public/story/Lovup.html
Notes to Editors
1. Royal rota arrangements will apply.
2. The Lovell Telescope was the world’s first fully steerable radio
telescope when it was completed in 1957 and which has enabled scientists
to observe the whole of the sky visible at Jodrell’s latitude.
3. The telescope’s powerful radar was the only western instrument able to
track the carrier rocket of Russia’s Sputnik I satellite in 1957 which
brought it to the world’s attention.
4. The 2.5 million pounds sterling upgrade has been funded by the Government
and the Wellcome Trust as part of the Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF)
initiative administered by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
(PPARC)
5. The event marks the culmination of three years’ work in which the
rusting steel plates that made up the reflective surface of the Telescope
have been replaced with new ones made of galvanised steel which have been
set more precisely.
6. Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) arrays can achieve an even
higher resolution than MERLIN arrays by combining the signals from widely
spaced telescopes in VLBI arrays.
7. The event comes in the University’s centenary year, which commemorates
the creation of the University of Manchester as we know it today.
The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) is the UK’s
strategic science investment agency. It funds research, education and
public understanding in four broad areas of science – particle physics,
astronomy, cosmology and space science.
PPARC is government funded and provides research grants and studentships
to scientists in British universities, gives researchers access to
world-class facilities and funds the UK membership of international bodies
such as the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, CERN, the European
Space Agency and the European Southern Observatory. It also contributes
money for the UK telescopes overseas on La Palma, Hawaii, Australia and in
Chile, the UK Astronomy Technology Centre at the Royal Observatory,
Edinburgh and the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility.
PPARC’s Public Understanding of Science and Technology Awards Scheme
provides funding to both small local projects and national initiatives
aimed at improving public understanding of its areas of science.
