Astronomy and particle physics : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence.
- Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
- Date:
- 2011
Licence: Open Government Licence
Credit: Astronomy and particle physics : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![from such facilities, its future ground based astronomy strategy would be focused through the facilities operated and developed by the ESO.*? Impacts of withdrawal 36. These withdrawals would mean that, within a few years, the UK and its astronomers will not have any direct access to ground-based optical and infrared observatories in the Northern Hemisphere,” although the UK will continue to be involved in a number of space-based observatories which observe objects across the whole sky.*° There are also a number of radio observatories in the Northern Hemisphere which the UK will continue to have access to.*° Thus, while UK researchers will be able to study objects in the northern part of the sky using these observatories, they will have no optical or infrared facilities with which to follow up their work.” The Royal Astronomical Society said withdrawal might mean UK scientists who make discoveries using a space based or radio observatory would see leadership of their work pass to peers in other ESO member states such as Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Spain, who all plan to retain access to other optical and infrared facilities in the Northern Hemisphere.* 37. Professor Janet Drew, Director of the Centre for Astrophysics Research at the University of Hertfordshire, and chair of the Astronet*? European Telescopes Strategic Review Committee which reported in 2010, emphasised the role of the ING’s William Herschel Telescope in supporting the European Space Agency's future Gaia mission:*° What a waste if the UK, who created the William Herschel [one of the ING telescopes on La Palma], could have no part in its further use, with a state-of-the-art instrument. Is all the investment of the past just to be handed over to our European colleagues in a gift of future science leadership?” 38. Strong arguments were also made to us about the educational and training benefits of UK involvement in telescopes such as those on La Palma,” and the shortcomings of concentration on the ESO from a strategic scientific viewpoint. Professor Peacock argued that as ESO is a shared resource, in order to gain a competitive advantage, the UK needed to retain some of its own telescopes: which we can turn into specialized facilities delivering data that can be combined with ESO results in a way that is not available to our European colleague- 43 Transcript of oral evidence, Spending Review 2010, 19 January 2011, HC618-1i, Q 126 44 Ev 40, paras 10 and 14 [Royal Astronomical Society] 45 For example, the Herschel Space Observatory, Planck, GAIA, and the James Webb Space Telescope 46 For example, Jodrell Bank, the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (e-MERLIN) array and LOFAR 47 Ev 40, para 14 [Royal Astronomical Society] 48 Ev 40, para 15 49 Astronet brings together national agencies, including STFC, to develop a pan-European approach to astronomy. 5° The Gaia spacecraft mission aims to chart a 3D map of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, in the process revealing the composition, formation and evolution of the Galaxy. 51 Ev w40 52 See, for example: Ev w9, para 3d John Beckman]; Ev w28 [Dr Don Carlos Abrams]; Ev w30, para 13 [Dr Marc Balcells]; Ev w45, para 5 [Chris Benn].](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b3222204x_0021.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
