From Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope to M82 Starburst and Beyond, plus Unusual World Telescopes.

Margaret Gilman


Region:
East Midlands
Notice Period:
Emergency (maybe less than one week's notice)
Type:
Hobby
Fee:
Paid: £90 plus travel expenses based on costs and time involved.
Category:
Science
Updated:
31st October 2023

This is a brief history of the world-famous Jodrell Bank (Lovell) radio telescope from its inception just before I went to Manchester University, to its choice as the futuristic SKA headquarters hopefully in action by 2028, followed by some of the weirdest and latest optical, radio and neutrino telescopes around the world. These range from one below the Mediterranean Sea to two at the top of the mountains in the Atacama Desert, plus The James Webb Space Telescope. None of them remotely resembles Nelson's!!!

We also look at just a few celestial bodies.

I include my own choice of edited music to go with the three extremely short video clips. I studied various types of telescopes whilst at University. Some of the latest ones are optical, radio or neutrino-based. This is not a technical ‘yawnathon’ and I have geared it to the average person who has a vague interest in the sciences. It took me around 400 hours to prepare.

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About Margaret Gilman

I was born in Cheshire and educated at St. Helen’s grammar school where I studied A levels in 3 foreign languages before deciding that I didn’t enjoy the literature side of this. So, I switched to Maths, Further Maths and Physics A levels instead and did these in a year at St. Helen’s Technical College on a course especially designed for me!! This enabled me to go to Manchester University when I was 17, where I achieved a B.Sc. Hons. (1st class) by the time I was 20.

I now live with my husband in beautiful Rutland. My married daughter lives locally, so I enjoy spending time with her and my local grown up grandchildren when they are around . My married son lives in Kent but I still manage to see him and his family whenever possible.

For 16 years, I took a local Italian class (unpaid) and still learn Italian, French and German and a little direly difficult Hungarian. I have learned/improved these these languages using Duolingo every single day since 2014 (and longer regarding Italian, French and German) My other interests are designing PowerPoint quizzes, attending weekly tai’ chi classes, playing my autoharp, as well as going to Verdi operas whenever I can.

There is never enough time in the day.........

All my Presentations are done using PowerPoint, each with varying amounts of music, and my own photographs. The talks last between 50 and 60 minutes, dependent on your requirements. I have three from which you can choose. The Verdi one is my personal favourite and seems to appeal to all, whether they have any interest in classical music or not.

I bring my own high-powered laptop I but need the venue to supply a up-to-date digital projector, compatible with modern, high-powered laptops, and an hdmi lead, otherwise the pictures are not visible! Someone will need to link the equipment to my laptop. I have my own speakers for small Groups if needs be. Large venues need to provide a sound system. I also need a screen. If you don’t have a modern digital projector, but do have an earlier version, I can bring my older laptop which will be compatible. The sound quality obviously isn’t as good but everyone still seems to enjoy it.

Fees vary according to distance travelled. I live near Oakham in the East Midlands, and will, regrettably, be charging £90 to local organisations starting in 2024. (The Navajo Talk is less complicated, so I will charge £80 for this one) Some Groups have actually paid me more than asked for after having seen/listened to my offerings but, as some Groups are charities, I don’t expect that. Further away, I add on very reasonable travel expenses for fuel and time. I prefer daytime talks as I am, annoyingly, no longer able to drive in the dark.

I try to make my Talks both fun and informative. Even the one on radio, optical and neutrino telescopes is fairly light-hearted and not too technical, so appeals to anyone.


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