Sir Martin Ryle (September 27, 1918 – October 14, 1984) was a British radio astronomer who developed revolutionary radio telescope systems (see e.g. aperture synthesis) and used them for accurate location and imaging of weak radio sources. In 1946 Ryle and Vonberg were the first people to publish interferometric astronomical measurements at radio wavelengths, although it is claimed that Joseph Pawsey from the University of Sydney had actually made interferometric measurements earlier in the same year. With improved equipment, Ryle observed the most distant known galaxies in the universe at that time. He was the first Professor of Radio Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, and founding director of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory. He was Astronomer Royal from 1972 to 1982. September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 95 days remaining. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in Leap years). ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Microwave image of 3C353 galaxy at 8. ... Aperture synthesis is a type of interferometry that mixes signals from a collection instruments to produce measurements having the same angular resolution as an instrument the size of the entire collection. ... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Interferometry is the applied science of combining two or more input points of a particular data type, such as optical measurements, to form a greater picture based on the combination of the two sources. ... The University of Sydney, established in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia, and it is located in Sydney, the capital city of the state of New South Wales. ... The Cavendish Astrophysics Group (formerly the Radio Astronomy Group) is based at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University. ... Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory is home to a number of large aperture synthesis radio telescopes, including the One-Mile and 5km instruments. ... Astronomer Royal was originally the title of the director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, but since 1972 it has simply been an honorary title. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... 1982 is a number and represents a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar Events January January 6 - William Bonin is convicted of being the freeway killer. January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British Prime...

Ryle and Antony Hewish shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974, the first Nobel prize awarded in recognition of astronomical research. In addition, Ryle won the Hughes Medal in 1954, the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1964, the Henry Draper Medal in 1965, and the Bruce Medal in 1974. Antony Hewish (born Fowey, Cornwall, May 11, 1924) is a British radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974 (together with fellow radio-astronomer Martin Ryle) for his role in the discovery of pulsars. ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physics from 1901 to the present day. ... The Hughes Medal, named for microphone inventor David Edward Hughes, is one of several medals awarded by the Royal Society, Englands reigning academy of science. ... 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Gold Medal is the highest award of the Royal Astronomical Society. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Henry Draper Medal was established by the widow of Henry Draper, and is awarded by the US National Academy of Sciences for contributions to astrophysics. ... 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... The Catherine Wolfe Bruce gold medal is awarded every year by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for outstanding lifetime contributions to astronomy. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

Short Biography

Some of this text is taken from notes given to tour guides at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory -- no copyright information is provided on the notes. After earning a physics degree at the University of Oxford in 1939, Ryle worked with the Telecommunications Research Establishment on the design of radar equipment during World War II. After the war he received a fellowship at the Cavendish Laboratory. The focus of early work in Cambridge was on radio waves from the Sun. Ryle's interest quickly shifted to other areas, however, and to explore those he decided early on that the Cambridge group should develop new observing techniques. As a result, Ryle was the driving force in the creation and improvement of interferometry and aperture synthesis, which have contributed immensely to upgrading the quality of radio astronomical data. He guided the Cambridge radio astronomy group in the production of several important radio source catalogues. For example, the Third Cambridge (3C) Catalogue 1959 helped lead to the discovery of the first quasi-stellar object (quasar). While serving as university lecturer in physics at Cambridge from 1948 to 1959, Ryle became director of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory 1957, and professor of radio astronomy in 1959. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1952, was knighted in 1966, and succeeded Sir Richard Woolley as Astronomer Royal (1972-82). Ryle and Antony Hewish shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974, the first Nobel prize awarded in recognition of astronomical research. Sir Martin Ryle died October 14, 1984, in Cambridge. Martin Ryle was undoubtably one of the great astronomers of the 20th Century. He was sometimes considered difficult to work with - in fact he often worked in an office at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory to avoid disturbances from other members of the Cavendish Laboratory and to avoid getting into heated arguments, as Ryle had a hot temper. Ryle worried that Cambridge would lose its standing in the radio astronomy community as other radio astronomy groups had much better funding, so he encouraged a certain amount of secrecy about his aperture synthesis methods in order to keep an advantage for the Cambridge group. Ryle had a famous heated argument with Fred Hoyle of the Institute of Astronomy about Hoyle's Steady State Universe (see also the note on the 2C source survey), which somewhat restricted collaboration between the Cavendish Radio Astronomy Group and the Institute of Astronomy during the 1960s. Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory is home to a number of large aperture synthesis radio telescopes, including the One-Mile and 5km instruments. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) was established in Malvern, England in 1940 as the central research group for RAF applications of radar. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Cavendish Laboratory is Cambridge Universitys Department of Physics, and is part of the universitys School of Physical Sciences. ... The Cavendish Astrophysics Group (formerly the Radio Astronomy Group) is based at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University. ... Interferometry is the applied science of combining two or more input points of a particular data type, such as optical measurements, to form a greater picture based on the combination of the two sources. ... Aperture synthesis is a type of interferometry that mixes signals from a collection instruments to produce measurements having the same angular resolution as an instrument the size of the entire collection. ... The Cavendish Astrophysics Group (formerly the Radio Astronomy Group) is based at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University. ... The Third Cambridge Catalog of Radio Sources (3C) is an astronomical catalogue of celestial radio sources, was published in 1959 by the University of Cambridge. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... wikipwdia is for gay fags ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory is home to a number of large aperture synthesis radio telescopes, including the One-Mile and 5km instruments. ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Royal Society of London is claimed to be the oldest learned society still in existence. ... 1952 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Sir Richard van der Riet Woolley (April 24, 1906 – December 24, 1986) was a British astronomer. ... Astronomer Royal was originally the title of the director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, but since 1972 it has simply been an honorary title. ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physics from 1901 to the present day. ... Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory is home to a number of large aperture synthesis radio telescopes, including the One-Mile and 5km instruments. ... The Cavendish Laboratory is Cambridge Universitys Department of Physics, and is part of the universitys School of Physical Sciences. ... The Cavendish Astrophysics Group (formerly the Radio Astronomy Group) is based at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University. ... Sir Fred Hoyle (June 24, 1915 – August 20, 2001) was a British astronomer, notable for a number of his theories that run counter to current astronomical opinion, and a writer of science fiction, including a number of books co-authored by his son Geoffrey Hoyle. ... The term Institute of Astronomy or IoA is conventionally used by astronomers to refer to the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge (although there are departments at other universities with the same name). ... For alternative meanings see steady state (disambiguation). ... The Second Cambridge Catalogue of Radio Sources (2C) was published in 1955 by J R Shakeshaft and colleagues. ... The Cavendish Astrophysics Group (formerly the Radio Astronomy Group) is based at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University. ... The term Institute of Astronomy or IoA is conventionally used by astronomers to refer to the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge (although there are departments at other universities with the same name). ...

External link

• About Sir Martin Ryle (http://www.nobel-winners.com/Physics/sir_martin_ryle.html)

Obituaries

• Obs 104 (1984) 283 (http://adsabs.harvard.edu//full/seri/Obs../0104//0000283.000.html)
• QJRAS 26 (1985) 358 (http://adsabs.harvard.edu//full/seri/QJRAS/0026//0000358.000.html)