Tim O'Brien
@proftimob.bsky.social
Astrophysics professor, Director Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement, exploding stars, science bluedot festival, red, two dogs rule the roost.
A few months back, I attended the STFC Partnership Summit which was captured via a life drawing. The drawing heavily features the Lovell telescope - in stark contrast to the newly published fact sheet, which pushes responsibility to the University of Manchester. www.ukri.org/publications... 1/n
This news warmed my heart this morning, but when I saw that Doves, Elbow and John Grant had signed it, I was overjoyed. This is how I came to find out about Jodrell Bank and the science that is done there through their music… (1/n)
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 2d agoJarvis Cocker, New Order, Elbow, Dr Who (v. Eccleston), @daraobriain.bsky.social, Kraftwerk, Mogwai, Brian May, 2 astronauts (Peake & Hadfield), the Poet Laureate, the Lovell family & many more. Heartwarming to see how much the UK loves Jodrell Bank & astronomy🔭🙏 www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
The famed astronomer Bernard Lovell and his team tracked Luna 2 with the radiotelescope at Jodrell Bank, UK, verifying that it had crashed on the Moon. THIS IS THE SAME TELESCOPE THAT WILL BE CLOSED DUE TO GOVERNMENT FUNDING CUTS 🧪 🔭 @proftimob.bsky.social
Lovell Telescope - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
"There are shades of the departed Starmer government in this saga: @ukri.org wants to tell a big story about science funding going up, but instead is mired in a row over a fairly minor sum.... One does not have to be an astronomer to know that optics matter." 👌🔭 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on the Lovell telescope: budget cuts to physics are bad science and worse politics | Editorial
Editorial: Funders have picked a damaging fight with scientists and the public. They should reconsider their plans
theguardian.com
Sadly it's not just #JodrellBank losing funding, with deep cuts across the board for UK astronomy. One example is the HiPERCAM project whose funding has been entirely cut to save £50K/yr - peanut-levels of £s. Spectacular fast transient science lost, for what? 🔭😡 www.zmescience.com/science/astr...
One of Astronomy’s Fastest Cameras May Stop Operating Over a $67,000 Funding Gap
The camera that checked JWST’s clock is losing its funding.
zmescience.com
Jodrell Bank cuts first test to Burnham’s regional ambitions. Key sector figures hope there could be ways to restore funding for ‘iconic’ observatory as Greater Manchester MP says decision undermines PM's devolution message. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Jodrell Bank cuts first test to Burnham’s regional ambitions - Research Professional News
Key sector figures express hope there are ways to save ‘iconic’ observatory
researchprofessionalnews.com
Thanks to all for huge support 🙏. Many petitions, change dot org, parliamentary, MEN etc. A few misconceptions about: - Lovell Telescope/e-MERLIN is old tech: NOT TRUE! Continually upgraded. - Cut is not to Lovell Telescope/Jodrell: NOT TRUE! e-MERLIN funding essential to operate all our telescopes.
Been a very hectic and devastating day. Many thanks for the very many lovely messages of support for our work. Here's a flash back to 2008 #savejodrellbank youtu.be/cWWbA4OYG3Y?...
The Jodrell Bank Song
YouTube video by silkfm
youtu.be
“What will the Lovell Telescope discover/enable 20 yrs from now? I can’t tell you, and that’s the point. It will either be something extraordinary that none of us can yet predict, or we will defund it and leave Cheshire with a rusting monument to unfulfilled potential and discoveries never made.” 🔭🧪
Tim O'Brien@proftimob.bsky.social · 3w agowww.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/2629113...
Council to highlight Jodrell Bank importance to government amid fear of funding cuts
CHESHIRE East is to write to government highlighting the importance of Jodrell Bank amid threats to its future – with one councillor saying…
northwichguardian.co.uk
Tim O'Brien@proftimob.bsky.social · 3w agoToday we attended the Cheshire East Council meeting where a motion was passed on defending Jodrell Bank and e-MERLIN in the face of potential funding cuts. It was humbling to listen to the many strong statements from councillors. We are very grateful to the Council for their support.
Today we attended the Cheshire East Council meeting where a motion was passed on defending Jodrell Bank and e-MERLIN in the face of potential funding cuts. It was humbling to listen to the many strong statements from councillors. We are very grateful to the Council for their support.
Neuromorphic computing is the next big-thing for the future of hardware & algorithm design. Dame Chi, being awesome, as ever, asks if the #STFC cuts to astro/particle physics will impact this UK industry. "I think for sure... someone else [will be] doing the cutting-edge research for the future" 🔭⚛️🧪
Chi Onwurah@chionwurah.bsky.social · 2mo agoAt SITC this morning I asked physicists whether cuts to research funding and opportunities for early career researchers will impact neuromorphic computing.
[🧵1/2] On Christmas Day 2003, #Beagle2 touched down on Mars only to fall silent and be presumed lost for over a decade... It wasn’t until 2015 that NASA imagery confirmed the spacecraft had landed safely and on target, its silence likely caused by a single solar panel failing to fully deploy.
Great Lovell Lecture last night by Chris Parkes about matter, antimatter and the Large Hadron Collider beauty experiment. We should have live streaming back up and running soon for anyone who can't attend in person.
Astronomer issues: googling MeerKAT and then having to do it again adding the word telescope.
"Someone, somewhere, has taken the decision to defund astrophysics research in the UK, but no-one seems quite sure who that was, or why." The latest on the impact of the catastrophic funding cuts to UK astrophysics, by me, in @natastron.nature.com 👩🔬🧪🔭 ✒️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
They stole the internet’s knowledge and all the work that went into it and they want to sell it back to us for a fee. What a business model.
☀️ Sunny weather this half term means plenty of outdoor fun at Jodrell, from solar telescopes to our new constellation play trail! There’s still time to join us for a week of cosmic May-hem. See what's on: https://ow.ly/kLyk50Z4Cur 🗓️ 23 - 31 May, 2026 📸 Andrew Brooks
With talk of this weekend's "blue micro moon", it might be a gvood time to (re)read my 2018 article on the "super blue blood moon", in which I also coin the terms maximoon and minimoon. Remember every moon is super. theconversation.com/super-blue-b...
‘Super blue blood moon’ to grace the sky – here’s what we could learn from it
Studying lunar eclipse could help us work out what’s happening on exoplanets.
theconversation.com
Introduce yourself with 10 acts you've seen live: AC/DC Black Sabbath Hawkwind The Pogues Yes Prince Bjork New Order The Chemical Brothers Kraftwerk
Matthew Cobb@matthewcobb.bsky.social · 3mo agoIntroduce yourself with 10 acts you’ve seen live: Bowie King Crimson Mory Kanté John Lee Hooker Groove Armada Blondie Abdullah Ibrahim Leonard Cohen Underworld The Hallé [Virtually all blokes, I notice]
The @royalsociety.org launched their new #ScienceForSociety report exploring the multiple interconnections between science and the public, proposing recommendations for how these connections might be strengthened. royalsociety.org/news-resourc...
Science for society | Royal Society
The Royal Society has published the Science for society report exploring the multiple connections between science and the public, and proposes recommendations for how these connections might be streng...
royalsociety.org
Always good to see Stephen Neal's name as director for the UK broadcast of Eurovision. He was the director for the first few years of Stargazing Live from Jodrell. Great to work with him.
Clearly the BBC think the Venn diagram of snooker lovers and sheep lovers has significant intersection 🤔
Well, isn’t this a sight for sore eyes! 😍 Our beloved Hubble appears in this amazing image from one of Vantor's WorldView Legion satellites. It was 36 years ago today that Hubble was launched in the bay of the Space Shuttle Discovery from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Vantor.
