UK's iconic Jodrell Bank telescope faces axe in science cuts

Image source, Jodrell Bank/Manchester University Image caption, The Lovell telescope has been at the cutting edge of science for nearly 70 years By Pallab Ghosh Science Correspondent Published 5 minutes ago The Jodrell Bank Observatory, which has housed the UK's largest telescope for nearly 70 years, has lost its funding and could now close, the BBC understands. The observatory and its network of telescopes have been pivotal to the country's study of distant galaxies and training future astronomers. Scientists have described the decision as "heartbreaking" and "scientifically misguided". All scientific observations at Jodrell are expected to cease on the 1 April 2028 unless alternative funding can be found. The funding body, the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) agency, is expected to make a statement shortly. The site was first established in 1945 and pioneered radio astronomy and the study of galaxies beyond our own. It was also pivotal during the Cold War, when it was used to monitor Soviet missiles during the height of nuclear tensions between the USSR and Nato powers. Its contribution to global scientific efforts earned it Unesco World Heritage status in 2019. But the UKRI, which has an annual budget of just under £10bn, says it has had to cut the observatory's annual £2.8m budget because planned research costs for physics and the running of its labs had escalated . UKRI has put more emphasis on funding research that it believes has more potential to create new industries and jobs. The announcement is just one of many deep cuts to astronomy projects being implemented, BBC News understand. The UK will no longer participate in research at the James Clark Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii, which scientists are using to image supermassive black holes at the centre of galaxies. And there will be a 20% cut in funding that supports UK participation in the Vera Rubin Telescope in Chile which is creating the first movie of the Universe - the project was only launched last year. First celestial image unveiled from revolutionary telescope in Chile Image source, NASA/ESA Image caption, This image from Nasa's Hubble telescope shows star formation. Using radio waves the Lovell network provides even clearer details Twenty-eight jobs are at risk at the Jodrell Bank site in Cheshire, but its closure would also affect the work of nearly 3,000 scientists who use it in their research. Prof Simon Garrington, associate director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory, told BBC News that everyone at Jodrell Bank was "devastated" by the decision. "It's not just because of the fantastic science that we do, but Jodrell Bank and its telescope network [have been] a national capability for nearly 70 years, and a beacon for science in the north-west [of England], attracting young people into science and engineering careers," he said. The importance of the site to science and the community has seen it immortalised in popular science fiction works from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Ga