James Stanley Hey
Encyclopedia
James Stanley Hey FRS (Nelson, Lancashire
, 3 May 1909 - 27 February 2000 ) was an English physicist
and radio astronomer
. With the targeted application of radar technology for astronomical research, he lay the basis for the development of radio astronomy . He discovered that the Sun radiates radio waves and localized for the first time an extragalactic radio source in the constellation Cygnus
.
, graduating in 1930, and obtained his master’s degree in X-ray
crystallography
the next year. He was then a teacher of physics in a northern grammar school for some years. In 1942 Hey joined the Army Operational Research Group (AORG) after a 6-week course at the Army Radio School. His task was to work on radar anti-jamming methods; for a year German jamming of Allied radar had been a problem and the escape of two German warships (Scharnhorst
and Gneisenau
) through the English Channel
, aided by enemy radar
jamming from the French Coast, had highlighted the problem. In February 1942 Hey had reports of severe noise jamming of anti-aircraft radars in the 4–8 m range. Realizing that the direction of maximum interference seemed to follow the Sun, he checked with the Royal Observatory
and found that a very active sunspot was traversing the solar disc. He concluded that a sunspot region, which was believed to emit streams of energetic ions and electrons in magnetic fields of around 100 G (gauss), could emit metre-wave radiation. In 1942, G.C. Southworth
in the USA also linked the Sun with radio noise, this time in the centimetre-wave region.
Later, in 1945, Hey used radar to track the paths of V-2 rocket
s approaching London at about 100 miles high. A problem here arose from spasmodic transient radar echoes at heights of about 60 miles, arriving at a rate of five to 10 per hour. When the V-2 attacks ceased, the echoes did not; Hey concluded that meteor
trails were responsible and that radar could be used to track meteor streams, and could of course do so by day as well as by night.
Hey’s results of 1942 could not be published until after the war.
Hey became Head of the AORG in 1949. He then worked as a researcher at the Royal Radar Establishment
at Malvern
, where he also continued his radio astronomical observations. From 1966 until his retirement in 1969 he was head of the research department.
Nelson, Lancashire
Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 28,998 in 2001. It lies 4 miles north of Burnley on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal....
, 3 May 1909 - 27 February 2000 ) was an English physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and radio astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
. With the targeted application of radar technology for astronomical research, he lay the basis for the development of radio astronomy . He discovered that the Sun radiates radio waves and localized for the first time an extragalactic radio source in the constellation Cygnus
Cygnus (constellation)
Cygnus is a northern constellation lying on the plane of the Milky Way. Its name is the Latinized Hellenic word for swan. One of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross...
.
Biography
Hey was born the third son of a cotton manufacturer, which was the main industry in Lancashire. Hey studied physics at the University of ManchesterUniversity of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
, graduating in 1930, and obtained his master’s degree in X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
crystallography
Crystallography
Crystallography is the experimental science of the arrangement of atoms in solids. The word "crystallography" derives from the Greek words crystallon = cold drop / frozen drop, with its meaning extending to all solids with some degree of transparency, and grapho = write.Before the development of...
the next year. He was then a teacher of physics in a northern grammar school for some years. In 1942 Hey joined the Army Operational Research Group (AORG) after a 6-week course at the Army Radio School. His task was to work on radar anti-jamming methods; for a year German jamming of Allied radar had been a problem and the escape of two German warships (Scharnhorst
German battleship Scharnhorst
Scharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
and Gneisenau
German battleship Gneisenau
Gneisenau was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the second vessel of her class, which included one other ship, Scharnhorst. The ship was built at the Deutsche Werke dockyard in Kiel; she was laid down on 6 May 1935...
) through the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, aided by enemy radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
jamming from the French Coast, had highlighted the problem. In February 1942 Hey had reports of severe noise jamming of anti-aircraft radars in the 4–8 m range. Realizing that the direction of maximum interference seemed to follow the Sun, he checked with the Royal Observatory
Royal Observatory
Royal Observatory may refer to:* The Royal Observatory, Greenwich * The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh* Before 1997, Hong Kong Observatory* The Royal Observatory of Belgium, Uccle...
and found that a very active sunspot was traversing the solar disc. He concluded that a sunspot region, which was believed to emit streams of energetic ions and electrons in magnetic fields of around 100 G (gauss), could emit metre-wave radiation. In 1942, G.C. Southworth
George Clark Southworth
George Clark Southworth , who published as G. C. Southworth, was a prominent American radio engineer best known for his role in the discovery of waveguides in the early 1930s.-Biography:...
in the USA also linked the Sun with radio noise, this time in the centimetre-wave region.
Later, in 1945, Hey used radar to track the paths of V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
s approaching London at about 100 miles high. A problem here arose from spasmodic transient radar echoes at heights of about 60 miles, arriving at a rate of five to 10 per hour. When the V-2 attacks ceased, the echoes did not; Hey concluded that meteor
METEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
trails were responsible and that radar could be used to track meteor streams, and could of course do so by day as well as by night.
Hey’s results of 1942 could not be published until after the war.
Hey became Head of the AORG in 1949. He then worked as a researcher at the Royal Radar Establishment
Royal Radar Establishment
The name Royal Radar Establishment was given to the existing Radar Research Establishment following a visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. Both names were abbreviated to RRE. The establishment had been formed, under its first name, in 1953 by merging the Telecommunications Research Establishment ...
at Malvern
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
, where he also continued his radio astronomical observations. From 1966 until his retirement in 1969 he was head of the research department.
Awards
- 1959 – EddingtonEddingtonEddington or Edington may refer to:* Eddington , an American Thoroughbred racehorse- United Kingdom :* Eddington, Berkshire* Eddington, Kent* Edington, Somerset* Edington, Wiltshire- United States of America :* Eddington, Maine...
Medal - Fellow of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
- 1977 – Honorary Doctor of the University of Kent
Publications by Hey
- Hey, JS, Parsons, SJ, en Stewart, GS, Radio observations of the Giacobinid Meteor shower, 1946, Mon. Not. Not. R. R. Astr. Astre. Soc., 107, 176–183, 1947. Soc., 107, 176-183, 1947. 1947MNRAS.107..176H
Popular science books
- The Radio Universe, first edition 1971
- Evolution of Radio Astronomy in the series "Histories of Science, 1972