British astronomer Bernard Lovell dies at 98

British physicist and astronomer Bernard Lovell, the creator of what was once the world's biggest radio telescope, has died at the age of 98, his university said Tuesday. Lovell was the Emeritus Professor of Radioastronomy at Manchester University and the founder and first director of Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, northwest England. The university said he had died on Monday night, describing him as a "great man" who would be "sorely missed." Lovell helped develop the 76 metre (250-foot) Lovell Telescope at the observatory, which was the world's largest when it was completed in 1957 and remains the third biggest steerable telescope on Earth. Days after its completion the telescope tracked the rocket that carried the Soviet satellite Sputnik 1 into orbit, ushering in the space age. The telescope played a key role in the discovery of pulsars, spinning astronomical objects left behind after massive stars explode. During World War II he led the team that developed the first airborne ground-scanning radar, which was used by the Royal Air Force. He received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 1961. "Sir Bernard's legacy is immense, extending from his wartime work to his pioneering contributions to radio astronomy and including his dedication to education and public engagement with scientific research," the university said in a statement.