Jodrell Bank given Royal seal of approval

Dr Tim O’Brien talks Prince Andrew through the controls of the Lovell Telescope

13 Oct 2011

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, praised the achievements of astronomers and scientists at Jodrell Bank on a visit to the Observatory last week.

Accompanied by Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University, and Professor Brian Cox, the Prince took the controls of the world-famous Lovell Telescope and was given a tour of the new Discovery Centre and grounds.

The Prince also planted the first tree in the new Sustainable Forest garden and signed the visitors’ book.

As part of a visit to science and innovation centres in the North West, the Prince took part in a round table discussion with several of The University of Manchester’s leading academics about the future of UK science and the upcoming research projects at Jodrell Bank.

Central among these is the Square Kilometre Array – the world’s largest telescope – whose headquarters will be based at Jodrell Bank.

Prince Andrew praised the impending arrival of the SKA headquarters, saying it is an example of the world-leading research going on at the site.

He said: “It will be a really fundamentally big project and most of the work is being done at Jodrell Bank.
“It is going to be an incredibly important instrument, testing even some of Einstein’s theories.”

Teresa Anderson, Director of the Discovery Centre, showed the Prince around the new centre, which included showing him a live print out of telescope signal.

She said: “We’re very pleased that the Duke of York was able to visit Jodrell Bank and see both the Observatory and the new Discovery Centre, especially given his keen interest in inspiring the next generation of scientists.”