2023-09-12
32 分钟Astronomer Paul Murdin believes a good imagination is vital for scientists, since they're so often dealing with subjects outside the visible realm. Indeed, over a long and successful career his imagination has taken him on a journey through space, discovering various new and unusual celestial occurrences - notably the first successful identification of a black hole, Cygnus X-1. Paul tells Jim Al-Khalili how he spent much of his career at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, working with astronomers around the world on some of the most advanced telescopes ever built. He headed up the Astronomy section of the UK’s Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, was Director of Science for the British National Space Centre and even has an asteroid named after him. This list of achievements is testament to the fact that Paul has never let his disability hold him back; a leg brace and walking sticks have been part of his life since contracting polio in childhood. But he maintains that as long as you have curiosity and a vibrant imagination, nothing should stand in your way. Produced by Lucy Taylor.
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Hello, and welcome to the podcast edition of the Life Scientific.
I'm Jamal Khalili, and this is the show where I get to talk with some of the world's leading scientists and you get to find out what drives them.
So sit back, get comfortable and enjoy the episode.
Hello.
Let us imagine for a moment our home galaxy, the Milky Way.
You might be picturing that classic image of a dramatic spiraling swirl of shimmering fragments emblazoned across the inky backdrop of space.
Our galaxy is one among billions in the universe, clumped together in clusters and superclusters.
But even our humble local cluster contains up to a trillion stars.
That's a mammoth task for astronomers, trying to map the heavens to learn what's out there.
And it puts into perspective the achievements of my guest today, the man responsible for first identifying a black hole called Cygnus X1.
Paul Murden spent much of his career at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, working with astronomers around the world and some of the most advanced, advanced telescopes ever built.
He headed up the astronomy section of the UK's particle physics and Astronomy Research Council and was director of Science for the British National Space Center.
He even has an asteroid named after him.
This catalogue of achievements is testament to the fact that Paul has never let his disability hold him back.
A leg brace and walking sticks have been part of his life since contracting polio at the age of six.
But those childhood months in hospital sparked Paul's love of reading and was also where he developed his vibrant imagination, something he believes is key to being a successful astronomer.
He says, I have more trouble getting about than most people, but in astronomy, the restrictions under which I operate are irrelevant.
Astronomy has let me see in reality views from the top of the world and through my imagination, sites that are out of it.
Paul Murden, welcome to the Life Scientific.