With e-MERLIN facing the axe, what next for Jodrell Bank and UK astronomy?

The UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) recently announced funding cuts to a range of physics and astronomy projects as it seeks to reduce costs. One of the most high-profile casualties is e-MERLIN, a network of seven radio telescopes spread across the UK, including the iconic Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank.

To discover what the cuts could mean for UK science and the livelihoods of those affected, podcast host Andrew Glester caught up with two astronomers at Jodrell Bank: Simon Garrington, e-MERLIN director, and David Williams-Baldwin, an e-MERLIN research support scientist.

They discuss why the cuts have caused such alarm among scientists, how the UK astronomy community is mobilizing in opposition, and why the consequences could extend far beyond Jodrell Bank.

e-MERLIN combines signals from its telescopes to produce sharp radio images of the Universe – with a resolution comparable to that of the Hubble Space Telescope. As things stand, funding for the telescope array will run out in March 2028, putting the future of the network and scientific operations at Jodrell Bank in doubt.

It’s an uncertain time for an observatory that was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in July 2019 for its historical contributions and its technical and scientific ingenuity since the 1940s.

The post appeared first on Physics World.