Single Dish Radio Astronomy: Great Strides 1: United Kingdom

Great Strides

Despite the implications of Reber’s work, the scientific community was in no position to pursue radio astronomy. Understandably so – World War II had thrust the world into turmoil. While radio technology was recognized as a useful tool, research was directed toward the transmission and detection of radio waves for defense purposes, and as such was considered classified [3].

The end of the war heralded the beginning of radio astronomy for the British. In 1945, astronomers from the University of Manchester, using a 4.2-meter army surplus radar antenna, began their search for celestial objects rather than enemy aircraft. With this antenna, they detected the radio signature of meteors streaking through Earth’s atmosphere, accurately determining their direction and velocity.

The radio echo from a meteor trail.

Standing in the center of the 66.5-meter.
(Image courtesy Jodrell Bank.)

Encouraged with these results, their next step was the construction of a 66.5-meter fixed paraboloid at Jodrell Bank. Although the telescope was nothing more than wire-mesh stretched over supporting posts with a horn receiver suspended from a 42-meter mast in the center, it was able to detect radio emission from galaxies outside of our own. In addition, the observations conducted with the 66.5-meter telescope were compiled to produce a catalog of radio stars, published in 1952, followed in 1955 by a catalog of radio sources that identified objects of interest for further study.

Aerial view of the 66.5-meter antenna.
(Image courtesy R.H. Brown)

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