Goodbye to a founder of radio astronomy
We are sad to report that one of the founders of the science of radio astronomy, Sir Francis Graham-Smith FRS, FRAS, FInstP, has passed away at the age of 102.
Sir Francis, or Graham as he was known to friends and colleagues, was the second Director of Jodrell Bank Observatory, taking over from Sir Bernard Lovell when he retired in 1981.
His career in astronomy was remarkable.
During the Second World War, Graham had been forced to interrupt his university studies in Cambridge in order to work on the development of radar. At the end of the war, he returned to Cambridge and began working alongside Martin Ryle, another wartime radar expert. There he played a key role in pioneering the new science of radio astronomy, providing some of the most accurate positions for the newly discovered sources of cosmic radio waves using interferometers.
In 1964, he was appointed as a Professor of Radio Astronomy at ºÚÁÏÍø³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ and moved to Jodrell Bank. He worked on some early space-based radio astronomy experiments as well as ground-based detection of cosmic rays.
However, when pulsars were discovered by Jocelyn Bell and Antony Hewish at Cambridge in 1967, his focus switched immediately to these new and important phenomena. Their study, using the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank and others, was to occupy much of the remainder of his career.
Whilst Director of Jodrell Bank, Graham was instrumental in securing funding for a significant upgrade to the MERLIN telescopes, Jodrell Bank’s own interferometer network, including the addition of a new 32-metre telescope to be sited in Cambridge. This upgrade kept MERLIN at the leading edge throughout the 1990s and paved the way for the later development to e-MERLIN and the Observatory today.
Although he officially retired in 1988, Graham continued to be an active member of Jodrell Bank’s pulsar research group, completing the latest edition of the research text ‘Pulsar Astronomy’ in his 99th year and publishing a review of Fast Radio Bursts in only April of this year, at the age of 102.
"Sir Francis was a towering figure in British astronomy, whose career spanned much of the history of radio astronomy itself, and as a teacher and mentor he enhanced the lives of many scientists, myself included."
In 1970, Graham was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He then became Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in 1975 where he oversaw the development of the UK’s optical observatory on La Palma in the Canary Islands. In 1981, he returned to Jodrell Bank to take over as Director when Sir Bernard Lovell retired. From 1975 to 1977, he was President of the Royal Astronomical Society and, from 1982 to 1990, he was Astronomer Royal. He received a knighthood in 1986.
Outside his work in research and scientific management, Graham was always a strong supporter of and participant in public engagement with science and education. For example, he delivered the 1965 Royal Institution Christmas Lecture alongside fellow radio astronomers Sir Bernard Lovell, Sir Martin Ryle and Antony Hewish. Amongst many other activities, including writing popular books and research-level texts, he played a significant role in the development and management of the public visitor centre at Jodrell Bank.
Graham was married to Elizabeth, his wife of 76 years who died in 2021. They had four children. He was a keen gardener and, for many years, an avid bee-keeper, an interest which he retained well into his 90s.
Selected recent books
- Pulsar Astronomy
Lyne, A. G., Graham-Smith, F., Stappers, B. (CUP, 2022). . - An Introduction to Radio Astronomy
Burke, B. F., Graham-Smith, F., Wilkinson, P. N. (CUP, 2019). . - Eyes on the Sky: A Spectrum of Telescopes
Graham-Smith, F. (OUP, 2016). . - Unseen Cosmos: The Universe in Radio
Graham-Smith, F. (OUP, 2013). .
Selected research papers
- A New Intense Source of Radio-Frequency Radiation in the Constellation of Cassiopeia
Ryle, M., Smith, F. G., Nature (1949). . - An Accurate Determination of the Positions of Four Radio Stars
Smith, F. G., Nature (1951). . - Radio Pulses from Extensive Cosmic-Ray Air Showers
Jelley, J. V. et al (1965). . - Characteristics of the radio pulses from the pulsars
Lyne, A. G., Smith, F. G., Graham, D. A., MNRAS (1971). . - Crab pulsar timing 1982-87
Lyne, A. G., Pritchard, R. S., Smith, F. G., MNRAS (1988). . - Statistical studies of pulsar glitches
Lyne, A. G., Shemar, S. L., Smith, F. Graham, MNRAS (2000). . - Pulsars: a concise introduction
Graham-Smith, F. , Lyne, A. G., A&G (2023). . - A new era for FRBs
Graham-Smith, Francis, A&G (2025). .
Recent interviews
- (BBC Science Café from 2023)
- (Jodcast from 2016).
- (Jodcast from 2015).
Obituary written by Professor Tim O'Brien.