1. Bell Discovers Pulsars.
- Author
-
Jones, Richard C.
- Subjects
Scientific discoveries ,Twentieth century ,Pulsar detection ,Bell, Jocelyn - Abstract
The history of science is replete with serendipitous discoveries that eclipse the original intentions of researchers and their experiments. Jocelyn Bell’s discovery of pulsars is illustrative of this phenomenon. The path of discovery leads to the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory of the University of Cambridge, where in 1965 astronomer Antony Hewish was constructing a new kind of radio telescope. Although the telescope was designed for quasar detection, quasars became the least significant part of the research. By luck, the observational parameters for quasar detection were very close to those of something they were not looking for: pulsars. (The word “pulsar” comes from “pulsating star.”)
- Published
- 2023