John Gatenby Bolton

This article is about the astronomer. For other people named John Bolton, see John Bolton (disambiguation).
John Bolton
FAA FRS CBE
Born
John Gatenby Bolton

(1922-06-05)5 June 1922
Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Died3 July 1993(1993-07-03) (aged 71)
Buderim, Queensland, Australia
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
Known for
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy, physics
Institutions
Notable students

John Gatenby Bolton FAA FRS CBE[1] (5 June 1922 – 6 July 1993) was a British-Australian astronomer who was fundamental to the development of radio astronomy. In particular, Bolton was integral in establishing that discrete radio sources were either galaxies or the remnants of supernovae, rather than stars.[1] He also played a significant role in the discovery of quasars[2] and the centre of the Milky Way.[3] Bolton served as the inaugural director of the Parkes radio telescope in Australia and established the Owens Valley Radio Observatory in California. Bolton's students held directorships at most of the radio observatories in the world and one was a Nobel Prize winner. Bolton is considered a key figure in the development of astronomy in Australia.[4]

  1. ^ a b Wild, J. P.; Radhakrishnan, V. (1995). "John Gatenby Bolton. 5 June 1922-6 July 1993". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 41: 72–86. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1995.0005.
  2. ^ "The Discovery of Quasars" (PDF). CSIRO. p. 3. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  3. ^ Robertson, Peter (2017). Radio Astronomer: John Bolton and a New Window on the Universe. Sydney, Australia: NewSouth Publishing. pp. 1–8. ISBN 9781742235455.
  4. ^ Robertson, Peter (2017). Radio Astronomer: John Bolton and a New Window on the Universe. Sydney, Australia: NewSouth Publishing. pp. 1–8. ISBN 9781742235455.