UK scientists and artists petition to save Jodrell Bank Observatory
More than 100 public figures have signed a letter urging the UK prime minister to reverse a funding cut that threatens to close the Jodrell Bank Observatory and its e-Merlin radio telescope network.
More than 100 artists, writers and scientists have called on the UK government to reverse a funding decision that could close the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, home to the iconic Lovell telescope. The appeal, addressed to new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds and the head of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), argues that cutting £2.8m per year to shut down the facility would be 'foolish and shortsighted'.
UKRI announced last week that it would withdraw support for the e-Merlin network, the UK's national radio astronomy facility, when the current agreement ends in March 2028. The observatory, a UNESCO world heritage site, is the largest radio telescope in the UK. Its Lovell telescope famously tracked the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and today plays a central role in an international project mapping the first billion years of the universe.
The letter warns that closing the observatory would destroy 'some of the world's clearest eyes on the sky' and would put 28 jobs at risk while affecting nearly 3,000 researchers who use the facility. The cuts are part of a broader package from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), which must make savings due to cost overruns, rising electricity and staff costs, and unfavourable exchange rates. UKRI's annual budget is nearly £10bn, but dozens of projects are affected, potentially leading to around 800 job losses.
Jodrell Bank also hosts the headquarters of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), a global effort with telescopes in South Africa and Australia. The letter asks whether the world really wants SKAO discoveries announced from a site with the largest disused radio telescope. It calls for immediate funding to ensure uninterrupted operation and preserve a source of national pride.
Other cuts include a 20% reduction in UK participation in the Rubin Observatory in Chile and a 45% cut to the Next-Generation Transit Survey. The UK will also withdraw from the Event Horizon Telescope, which captured the first image of the Milky Way's central black hole. An STFC spokesperson defended the cuts as part of a rigorous prioritisation process.
