Astronomer with research that changed the world

As an astrophysicist, Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell made the most important discovery of the twentieth century: The discovery of radio signals from a pulsar, a star invisible to the naked eye, in 1967.

Overcoming prejudice to pursue passion Jocelyn Bell was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Burnell is her husband’s last name, Roger Burnell. Her parents, Allison and Philip Bell, were supportive of her interest in science. Mr. Philip is an architect, credited with building Ireland’s Armagh Planetarium. Her parents’ support was especially important because at the time, girls were discouraged from doing scientific research. In fact, the school she attended, Lurgan College, wanted girls to focus on housework skills. Thanks to the persuasion of her parents, she was finally allowed to study the sciences. Jocelyn Bell Burnell in her youth At the beginning of her academic and research career, she thought that she was not qualified to attend Cambridge University, and she was even ridiculed by male classmates. However, she did not stop striving and in 1965, she graduated from the University of Glasgow with a major in Physics. In 1969, she successfully defended her doctoral thesis at Cambridge University. During her time at Cambridge University, Jocelyn Bell worked on a team led by astrophysicist Antony Hewish that built the Mullard Observatory’s (MRAO) radio-receiving antenna array to observe the quasars. They also created a radio telescope to study quasars, bright distant objects that contain supermassive black holes within them. She detected the first radio signals of a pulsar on October 28, 1967 at the age of 24. This is the first pulsar, a star invisible to the naked eye that can only be detected by radio waves. Neutron stars rotate very quickly and emit beams of radiation, which have a huge gravitational pull. As for the discovery of pulsars, the press described it as “the greatest astronomical discovery of the 20th century”. Jocelyn Bell Burnell’s discovery was also called “one of the most surprising things in the history of astronomy”. Among many other findings, her discovery provided a kind of test for Einstein’s theory of relativity, providing a new treasure of knowledge about how heavy elements in the universe form. However, Burnell’s work was completely ignored. In 1974, together with radio astronomer Martin Ryle, Antony Hewish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research in the field of astronomical observations at radio wavelengths and the discovery of pulsars. It is unfair that Jocelyn Bell was not awarded a part of the Nobel Prize even though she was also named in the scientific report on the discovery of the pulsar. It was a gender-unfair decision, according to observers. Jocelyn Bell Burnell was honored by US scientists with the attendance of President Barack Obama in 2016. The world recognizes the merits Jocelyn Bell Burnell has taught at many universities in the UK and USA. She has won the Beatrice M. Tinsley Award from the American Astronomical Society (1989), was awarded the Royal Medal from the Royal Society in 2015, the Prudential Lifetime Achievement Award and many others. She became President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and President of the Royal Astronomical Society from 2002 to 2004 and was elected President of the Institute of Physics from October 2008 to October 2010. She was recognized by Queen Elizabeth as Commander of the British Empire for her services in the field of astronomy. Her curiosity, diligent observation, and rigorous analysis have revealed some of the most mysterious and interesting objects in the universe. Not only a pioneer and a great tree, Bell Burnell is also the most outstanding role model in the field, a worthy representative of women in science. She has dedicated her career to empowering women and minorities in science.” Chiara Mingarelli, astrophysicist at the Flatiron Institute in New York, USA Bell Burnell’s discovery had a great influence on world science. In early 2018, scientists at the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) demonstrated the feasibility of using pulsars for navigation in the SEXTANT experiment carried out on the International Space Station. This experiment stems from the idea that future robotic spacecraft could use the pulsar’s clock-like regular X-rays to triangulate the position of the pulsars. There is currently a project to use pulsars as lighthouses to guide the way during space travel. “Analyzing data in other regions, I found two more mysterious signals. I discovered four other examples of an entirely new class of stars, objects that emit signals as they rotate. Their signal swept across the universe like a lighthouse. We called it a pulsar,” she told the Guardian. Jocelyn Bell Burnell and her work on pulsars Pulsars have been used to weigh the solar system and accurately determine its mass. They are recommended signposts for long-term interstellar navigation. Astronomers also use pulsars to create maps that direct aliens to Earth’s position in space. In 2018, physicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell was awarded the Breakthrough Prize – the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, worth $3 million. She used the $3 million prize money to create scholarships to encourage female students, migrants, and disadvantaged ethnic minorities to pursue a career in physics. For a discovery that many consider worthy of a Nobel Prize, she was recognized by the Breakthrough Committee with a special prize in fundamental physics for her scientific achievements and her “inspirational pioneering role”. ” for more than five decades.