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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Martin Ryle
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(1918–84, kt 1966) Radio astronomer whose special contribution was the development of aperture synthesis – the use of widely separated aerials to pinpoint radio sources in space (by 1971 his Mullard Radio Astronomy Laboratory at Cambridge had the equivalent of a 5km/3m aperture). In 1955 his researches led him to the conclusion that the universe had evolved from a densely concentrated mass some ten billion years ago. This resulted in a lively dispute between himself and Fred *Hoyle, who argued that the universe is in a steady state of continuous creation; subsequent research has supported Ryle and the big bang. He won the Nobel prize in 1974 and was appointed *astronomer royal in 1972 (a post from which he retired in 1982 because of ill health).
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