Jodrell Bank Observatory steht vor der Schließung, nachdem großer Geldgeber die Unterstützung gekürzt hat | Wissenschaftler sagen, die Entscheidung sei ein schwerer Schlag für die britische Astronomie, da das Weltraumobservatorium weltweit führende Einrichtungen beheimatet
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jul/27/jodrell-bank-observatory-facing-closure-uk
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>Jodrell Bank Observatory, which runs a world-leading network of radio telescopes, is facing closure after its major funder cut support for the facility.
>The deep space observatory, which hosts the Grade I-listed Lovell telescope, is prized by astronomers who study galaxies, black holes, star formation, planets beyond the solar system and the afterglow of the big bang.
>The observatory’s funder, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), said on Monday it would withdraw funding for the e-Merlin network that constitutes the UK’s national radio astronomy facility at Jodrell Bank when the current agreement lapses in March 2028.
>Scientists said the decision was a blow to UK astronomy, with observations at Jodrell Bank due to end completely unless other funding is found. “Jodrell has been delivering spectacular discovery science for decades,” said Prof Catherine Heymans, Scotland’s astronomer royal. “To see this world-leading facility cut is just devastating.”
Ridiculous. I bet they’ve got money for military spending and other less useful things though.
£2.8m is nothing to a government quango with a £10bn budget. Cuts to the use of a host of other telescopes as well. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y6r9rdxygo
>The decision to withdraw funding from e-MERLIN at the end of its current funding agreement is the result of a comprehensive, evidence-based prioritisation process. As part of this, STFC is focusing investment on the areas that will deliver the greatest long-term scientific capability and value, including the next generation of world-leading radio astronomy facilities,
What world-leading radio astronomy facilities are they referring to with this? Seems like an odd reason to give for pulling funding from a world-leading radio astronomy facility
I am livid. Crass scientific vandalism to cut funding for astronomy.
Sometimes I wish I were a billionaire just so I could be the McKenzie Scott of science funding.
But I also realize that doing so would just encourage further funding cuts.
Surely this can only be taking about the visitor center. They just opened the headquarters for the square kilometre array there and that is a huge multinational project.
They also host MERLIN which is when they link all 7 UK radio telescopes for even more precise imaging. Edit: (Sadly it looks like MERLIN is the bulk of the cuts)
I would absolutely sign up for some sort of subscription to keep the Lovell telescope maintained though as i’m sure many other Brits would. Seeing that thing for the first time made me love science and tech.
The Jodcast is done for? Oh no. It’s been a hot minute since I listened you that though.
I work at Jodrell… and today has been grim (AMA!).
Five days ago, the University announced a world-first Space Domain Awareness demo — using the Lovell and e-MERLIN dishes as a distributed radar to track satellites and debris out to geostationary orbit (https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/jodrell-bank-demonstrates-live-radar-observations-of-satellites-and-space-debris/). UK Space Agency-funded, it is one of two NATO research groups, alongside MIT Lincoln Labs and CSIRO. It offers a tenfold increase in sensitivity over existing radar. The former CTO of GCHQ is quoted as calling it protection for UK space assets against „potentially hostile threats.“
**Five days later, STFC announced that e-MERLIN’s funding would end in March 2028**.
The other thing nobody mentions: e-MERLIN contributes to Very Long Baseline Interferometry, the only technique that defines the celestial reference frame and measures the Earth’s rotation angle. This measurement is needed for you to use any geolocated service (think Google Maps). The UK now contributes to that network, but after 2028 it won’t.
If you wish to help: write to your MP and to the Commons Science and Technology Committee, who were told discovery science would be protected.
… „tax the rich, eat the rich“!
The Rich: Ok then.
Question: I went on a trip to Jodrell bank, and they give the impression the observatory it pretty old and outdated (built in 1950’s), it is more of a historical piece.
Or there is still work being done there that can’t be done elsewhere? How can it justify £2.8 million annual cost, does it do something irreplaceable or is this a case of old, much loved equipment being replaced by something newer?
Radio astronomer here! **This is catastrophic**, and for all of science not just the UK. The Jodrell Bank telescopes are very much workhorses churning out data, and the less there is on that world class level the more pressure it puts on other facilities. But more importantly… dozens of people work there, and thousands more are trained to use it at some point in their career. If you shut down a facility like this all that expertise goes elsewhere and never comes back- you’re effectively shuttering forever once you do.
If you’re in the UK PLEASE write to your MP and ask them to reverse this! It’s not too late!