Britain's iconic telescope could be axed as job cut fears raised amid cuts to science funding

Britain's iconic Jodrell Bank telescope is facing the axe, as job cut fears have been raised amid latest cuts to science funding.

UK Research and Innovation has cut the £2.8million annual budget for Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire.

As a result, all scientific observations are set to end on April 1 2028 unless new sources of money can be secured.

The agency, which controls a yearly budget of nearly £10billion, said escalating costs for physics research and laboratory operations forced the decision.

UKRI said it needed to concentrate resources on work delivering "the greatest long-term impact".

The observatory has been home to the country's largest telescope for close to seven decades.

Now, scientists have called the move "heartbreaking" and "scientifically misguided", warning it will be a devastating blow to British astronomy.

Founded in 1945, the Cheshire site was a trailblazer in radio astronomy and the exploration of galaxies far beyond the Milky Way.

The site was recognised with Unesco World Heritage status in 2019.

During the Cold War, the facility played a critical role in tracking Soviet missile activity at the peak of nuclear tensions between the USSR and Nato powers.

At the observatory's heart sits the Lovell Telescope, the world's third-largest steerable radio dish, which has remained at the forefront of research thanks to continuous upgrades over the decades.

Its capabilities were dramatically boosted when it was linked with six other telescopes across central England to form the e-MERLIN network, achieving resolution comparable to the Hubble Space Telescope.

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That network also underpins research into star and planet formation, galaxy evolution, supermassive black holes, and the mysterious dark matter and dark energy constituting over 95 per cent of the universe.

Scotland's Astronomer Royal, Prof Catherine Heymans, speaking on behalf of the UK astronomy community, described the funding withdrawal as "a real act of national self-harm".

Twenty-eight positions at the Cheshire site are directly threatened, but the ripple effects extend far wider, with nearly 3,000 researchers relying on the facility for their work.

Prof Simon Garrington, the observatory's associate director, said staff were "devastated".

He added: "It's not just because of the fantastic science that we do, but Jodrell Bank and its telescope network [have been] a national capability for nearly 70 years and a beacon for science in the north-west [of England], attracting young people into science and engineering careers."

Meanwhile, Professor Philip Diamond, a former director of both Jodrell Bank and the SKA organisation, warned the decision was "removing the science capability which is essential for the long-term health of UK radio astronomy and the SKA".

He further signalled the move would have a "severe impact" on the future of the industry.

Prof Michael Kramer, executive director of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, called the move "scientifically, technologically as well as economically short-sighted".

He added: "Internationally, people will look at that and will hardly believe it. You're cutting off the radio astronomy capability in the country."

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