Jocelyn Bell Burnell
The Woman who Changed Science Forever
Scientist Information
Name: Jocelyn Burnell
Full Name: Susane Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Birth Date and Age: July 15, 1943; 72 Years Old
Born In: Ireland
Family Tree: Martin Burnell-Spouse (Divorced in 1993), Gavin Burnell-Son, G. Phillip Bell and M. Allison Bell-Parents
Educational Background:
Lugran College
Physics Degree-Glasgow University
PH.D-University of Cambridge
Taught at-University of Southampton
Professional Location: Cambridge, UK
Fame
Jocelyn Bell Burnell is famous for discovering the first pulsars. Pulsars are stars that release regular bursts of radioactive waves. She was also involved in the real construction of the first radio telescope. One day, while looking through her radio telescope, Jocelyn began to take notice of unusual signals she called "scruff". She thought of the "scruff to be some sort of radio wave interference. Over the course of a few days however, it became clear that the signals were coming from the outside solar system. As the discovery began to spread across the news, the scientist community began to wonder where these strange "scruffs" were coming from. The theories ranged from reflections from the moon to extraterrestrial civilization.
Quote from Jocely Bell Burnell
"Scientists should never claim that something is absolutely true. You should never claim perfect, or total, or 100% because you never get there."
-Jocelyn Bell Burnell