The story of the universe? We heard it here first
By Kate Simon
There’s a major celebration taking place in Britain this weekend. That’s right, the opening of the new First Light Pavilion at Jodrell Bank.
The doors to the subterranean dome will finally open to the public on Saturday, 4 June. And visitors stepping inside will discover how this deep space observatory in the green fields of the Cheshire Plain, marked out in the landscape by the gigantic white dish of the Lovell Telescope, has been crucial to humanity’s understanding of space, the universe and everything.
Within the cavernous exhibition hall, the latest audio-visual technology has been harnessed to tell the story of the observatory and the development of radio astronomy since Bernard Lovell, a physicist at the University of Manchester, rocked up here in a muddy field in 1945 to find out if radar, which he’d learnt about in the Second World War, could be used to study cosmic rays.
Lovell’s experiments outside his laboratory in Manchester had been thwarted by interference from electric trams. Here on this quiet patch of countryside owned by the university’s botany department, Lovell's equipment accidentally picked up meteors. The new science of radio astronomy was born and a world-leading observatory established. It’s still part of the University of Manchester and continues the important work of investigating the formation, evolution and activity of the universe.
The story of both the observatory and the science of using radio waves instead of visible light is well told at the First Light Pavilion using cutting-edge animated and interactive displays, which include the chance to ‘drive’ a radio telescope, be showered by virtual meteors, and launch a digital Sputnik across the length of the exhibition.
The whizz-bangs are interspersed with intriguing memorabilia, among them panels taken from the underside of the Lovell Telescope during a recent renovation, and Sir Bernard’s deckchair, from which he watched the heavens above. The Pavilion also has a state-of-the-art Space Dome, which will play immersive films including planetarium-style shows.
The structure itself is just as impressive. The grass-topped mound has been sculpted to reflect the shape of Lovell’s futuristic dish, visible just through the trees. Yet it also looks back in time, invoking the Stone Age passage tomb of Newgrange in Ireland. The architects, Hassell, have aligned the building with the sun via a meridian line cut through the south-facing entrance. It invites the sun to shine a finger of light into the entrance foyer that acts as a giant sundial as the day progresses.
Hands up, I must declare an interest. As part of my day job, I have been helping launch the Pavilion and I promote Jodrell Bank in my work for Cheshire’s tourist board. But I grew up nearby and the sight of the great white dish of the Lovell Telescope has enchanted me since childhood. I still do a detour to drive past, given half a chance.
Yet, the Lovell isn’t just familiar to locals – not least because the railway line between London and Manchester passes right next to the telescopes. So, in 2019, on the 50th anniversary of the moon landings, I was surprised when one national newspaper journalist raised doubts with me about the observatory’s significance in the space age story. Ironically, apart from its wider substantial scientific impact, Jodrell Bank had captured the first images of the surface of the moon in 1969.
You can find out more about that story at the new First Light Pavilion. And why, in 2019, UNESCO awarded the observatory World Heritage Status. Hopefully, few visiting the new Pavilion will be left in any doubt about the influential role of Jodrell Bank. Now that’s a reason to hang out the bunting this weekend.
Phil’s Beer Notes
Fans of Robinsons ales will be pleased to find that one of the closest pubs to Jodrell Bank is one of its tied houses, the Red Lion at Lower Withington. To the north, the Egerton Arms in Chelford offers a wider range of local brews, in the cosy environment of a 15th Century farmhouse.
A short trip into Macclesfield is probably worthwhile to taste the full range of one of the country’s most highly regarded breweries at the moment, RedWillow, at its bar on Park Green. Beartown Brewery in Congleton is due to complete its new brewery and tap room later this month and should be worth a visit.
Photo: Andrew Brooks/Jodrell Bank
I grew up near Tarporley in Cheshire, with Jodrell Bank nearly always visible on the horizon over 20 miles away. Hope to return soon to see the Pavilion, it sounds fab. Loving the blog. Beer, science and local interest. What's not to like !