The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, in their press release announcing the Nobel Prize in Physics, cited Ryle and Hewish for their pioneering work in radio-astrophysics, with particular mention of Ryle's work on aperture-synthesis technique, and Hewish's decisive role in the discovery of pulsars.
Iosif Shklovsky, recipient of the Bruce Medal, had sought out Bell at the International Astronomical Union's General Assembly, to tell her: "Miss Bell, you have made the greatest astronomical discovery of the twentieth century.
She was encouraged to read and was drawn to books on astronomy. She lived in Lurgan as a child and attended Lurgan College where she was one of the first girls there who was permitted to study science. Previously, the girls' curriculum had included such subjects as cross-stitching and cooking. She graduated from the University of Glasgow with a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Philosophy physics in , and obtained her Ph. At Cambridge, she worked with Hewish and others to construct a radio telescope for using interplanetary scintillation to study quasars, which had recently been discovered interplanetary scintillation allows compact sources to be distinguished from extended ones.
In July , she detected a bit of "scruff" on her chart-recorder papers that tracked across the sky with the stars. Bell found that the signal was pulsing with great regularity, at a rate of about one pulse per second. After finishing her Ph. Undeterred, her parents sent her to England to study at a Quaker boarding school, where she quickly distinguished herself in her science classes.
In , Bell Burnell began her graduate studies in radio astronomy at Cambridge University. One of several research assistants and students working under astronomers Antony Hewish, her thesis advisor, and Martin Ryle, over the next two years she helped construct a massive radio telescope designed to monitor quasars.
By , it was operational and Bell Burnell was tasked with analyzing the data it produced. Over the ensuing months, the team systematically eliminated all possible sources of the radio pulses—which they affectionately labeled Little Green Men, in reference to their potentially artificial origins—until they were able to deduce that they were made by neutron stars, fast-spinning collapsed stars too small to form black holes.
Their findings were published in the February issue of Nature and caused an immediate sensation. Intrigued as much by the novelty of a woman scientist as by the astronomical significance of the team's discovery, which was labeled pulsars—for pulsating radio stars—the press picked up the story and showered Bell Burnell with attention.
That same year, she earned her Ph. Many in the scientific community raised their objections, believing that Bell Burnell had been unfairly snubbed.
However, Bell Burnell humbly rejected the notion, feeling that the prize had been properly awarded given her status as a graduate student, though she has also acknowledged that gender discrimination may have been a contributing factor.
After receiving her doctorate from Cambridge, she taught and studied gamma ray astronomy at the University of Southampton. Bell Burnell then spent eight years as a professor at University College London, where she focused on x-ray astronomy. During this same time, she began her affiliation with Open University, where she would later work as a professor of physics while studying neurons and binary stars, and also conducted research in infrared astronomy at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh.
She was the Dean of Science at the University of Bath from to , and has been a visiting professor at such esteemed institutions as Princeton University and Oxford University. Join the conversation in our Facebook group. Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London Love them or hate them, there's no denying their growing numbers have added an explosion of color to the city's streets.
India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country.
Epic floods leave South Sudanese to face disease and starvation. Travel 5 pandemic tech innovations that will change travel forever These digital innovations will make your next trip safer and more efficient. But will they invade your privacy? Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth.
Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs. Meet the people trying to help. Animals Whales eat three times more than previously thought. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment As the EU targets emissions cuts, this country has a coal problem. Paid Content How Hong Kong protects its sea sanctuaries.
History Magazine These 3,year-old giants watched over the cemeteries of Sardinia.
0コメント