Who is Jocelyn Bell

Jocelyn Bell Burnell

The astronomer who saw the first pulsar

Born Susan Jocelyn Bell on 15 July 1943 in Belfast. A British astrophysicist, she discovered the first pulsar while still a doctoral student. The observatory takes its name from that discovery, and from that status.

Her career

Six dates

1965 to 1968 · The doctorate

Doctorate at Cambridge. She helps build the radio telescope, then works through its recordings by hand, miles of unspooling paper.

28 November 1967 · The first pulsar

Discovery of the first pulsar, CP 1919. A regular signal she refused to dismiss as an anomaly. Published in February 1968.

1974 · The Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize in Physics goes to her thesis supervisor and a colleague. She is left out, an omission publicly contested at the time.

2002 to 2004 · The Royal Astronomical Society

She serves as its president.

2018 · The Breakthrough Prize

Special Breakthrough Prize in fundamental physics, three million dollars, which she gives away in full to fund scholarships for students under-represented in physics.

16 April 2026 · Her visit to Toulouse

She attends the open day at the observatory that bears her name.

Why this name

What settled the choice

The name matches the spirit of the project: making astronomy reachable for students, and for everyone else.

A student’s discovery

She was a doctoral student when she found the very first pulsar. The Nobel Prize nonetheless went to her supervisor. This observatory is likewise designed and run by students.

Women in astronomy

Astronomy remains a heavily male field. Close to 45 % of UPS in Space members are women, well above the average for the sciences. The name stands for an astronomy open to everyone.

Giving it back

In 2018 she gave away her entire Breakthrough Prize, three million dollars, to fund students under-represented in physics. The gesture is exactly what the association says it wants to do.