Save Jodrell Bank - all you need is Lovell

 

Back in March, on our way back from Manchester and the incredible David Byrne gig, Sarah and I stopped at the Jodrell Bank observatory. This was a place we'd long wanted to visit, and this trip gave us the opportunity as it was only 40 minutes from Manchester, and in the right direction.

We spent a hugely enjoyable few hours wandering around the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the lovely Spring sunshine, marvelling at the awe-inspiring sight of the gargantuan Lovell telescope, and soaking up all the information we could process from the fascinating visitor centre, and from a live science demonstration. We really enjoyed our time there and made tentative plans to return later in the year.

But ( you knew I was leading up to a "but" didn't you? ) recent news has revealed that funding for the site is being cut. The UK Research and Innovation agency, which funds Jodrell Bank among many other projects, wants to save the annual £2.8 million cost of the facility, which will put the jobs of the staff at risk, as well as the work of an estimated 3000 scientists who depend on the site for their research. And, of course, the closure of Jodrell Bank would be a huge blow to the international scientific community and a sad loss of a historic facility. £2.8 million doesn't sound a lot to find in a country like the UK - considering there's always money to be found for building weapons or funding police to arrest pensioners for peaceful protests - but, as usual, anything that isn't seen as instantly profitable gets dumped at the first opportunity. Many people have spoken out about these "hasty and ill-considered" cuts ( to quote Professor Brian Cox ) and, hopefully, bringing this sad state of affairs to the public's attention will help in the search for new funding.

If anyone would like to further help with highlighting this issue, there's a petition from those wonderful people at 38 Degrees which you can sign here, and which will hopefully help the situation.

Cheers! The cosmos will thank you.

Social distancing with style

L'année Dernière à Marienbad ( 1961 )

RIP Stephen Hawking

A sad day for the universe. One of the greatest men of our time, the physicist and visionary Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76.

Such a brave, unique and inspiring person. His loss will leave another black hole in the cosmos...

Randomiser X ( or The Return Of The Randomiser, tenth edition )

It's been literally years since I've done one of these Randomiser posts, so I thought it would be fun to revive them. Gonna start with some Moebius ( of course ) and Sigourney Weaver's high school Yearbook photo. You're welcome...

Soundtrack: Combat Rock by The Clash

Star man

Sadly, we've lost yet another candidate for Greatest Living Englishman, Sir Patrick Moore, who died today aged 89. An eccentric, curmudgeonly and outspoken figure, Patrick Moore probably did more than any other public figure in this country to promote interest in space exploration and astronomy, presenting the BBC TV show The Sky At Night for over 50 record-breaking years.

In a long and successful career Moore also wrote over 100 non-fiction books on astronomy and science, as well as some juvenile SF novels in the 1950s and 1970s, with titles like Captives Of The Moon and Planet Of Fear.

Here's a quote from bird's-nest-haired Queen guitarist Brian May which sums up the great man:

Queen guitarist Brian May, who published a book on astronomy written with Moore, described him as a "dear friend, and a kind of father figure to me". He said: "Patrick was the last of a lost generation, a true gentleman, the most generous in nature that I ever knew, and an inspiration to thousands in his personal life, and to millions through his 50 years of unique broadcasting. It's no exaggeration to say that Patrick, in his tireless and ebullient communication of the magic of astronomy, inspired every British astronomer, amateur and professional, for half a century. There will never be another Patrick Moore. But we were lucky enough to get one."

RIP Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore ( 4th March 1923 - 9th December 2012 )

Smarter than the average bear?

Source: Staples eReader Department

Just had a go on this little device which measures the speed at which you read. And then sneakily asks you 3 questions about the text to make sure you've actually read it...

Apparently I read the test at the rate of 530 words per minute, which is ( they say ) 112% faster than the national average. Not sure if that's necessarily good but it was a fun little exercise.

Why not give it a try?

( Thanks to Joanne at I Have Seen The Whole Of The Internet )

Life on Mars?

They don't make alien invasions like that any more do they? A classic Frank R. Paul cover for a reprint of Wells' War Of The Worlds: Martian tripods, heat rays, panicking crowds, all present and correct. 

The reality of life on Mars may be more prosaic: NASA have announced today the presence of methane gas on the red planet which could point to the existence of life. One theory is that organisms called methanogens living in underground water could be emitting this gas as a waste product. Here's a quote from today's Sun: "John Murray, a member of the Mars Express European space probe team, believes the mini-Martians may be in a state of suspended animation and could even be REVIVED." Is that such a good idea? Haven't these scientists ever seen Quatermass And The Pit? That's just asking for trouble.

Seriously, this is exciting news. Even if the only life on Mars turns out to be flatulent microbes it still means that life isn't exclusive to this planet, and somewhere in the universe there could be more advanced lifeforms. Hopefully without tripods and heat rays.

Soundtrack: Costello Music by The Fratellis.