The Birth of Radar Meteor Astronomy at Jodrell Bank: The Collaboration between Bernard Lovell and Manning Prentice

Abstract

The discovery of radar echoes from meteor trains at Jodrell Bank in December 1945 heralded the beginning of a new era in meteor astronomy. This paper examines the early collaboration between Bernard Lovell, whose expertise in radar and physics transformed wartime technology into a new astronomical technique, and J. P. Manning Prentice, Director of the British Astronomical Association Meteor Section, whose knowledge of visual meteor observation proved essential to interpreting the discoveries. Drawing on previously unpublished correspondence from the Lovell Archive at the University of Manchester, the paper traces the development of their partnership, including the pioneering 1946 Perseid and Giacobinid observations, the contribution of BAA observers, and the establishment of radar meteor research at Jodrell Bank. It reveals how complementary professional and amateur expertise combined to create a new field of astronomy and a lasting scientific friendship.