John E. Baldwin

Who was John E. Baldwin?

John Evan Baldwin FRS worked at the Cavendish Astrophysics Group from 1954. He played a pivotal role in the development of interferometry in Radio Astronomy, and later astronomical optical interferometry and lucky imaging. He made the first maps of the radio emission from the Andromeda Galaxy and the Perseus Cluster, and measured the properties of many active galaxies. In 1985 he performed the first Aperture Masking Interferometry observations, and then led the construction and operation of the Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope, and helped develop the lucky imaging method. In 2001 he was awarded the Jackson-Gwilt Medal for his technical contributions to the fields of interferometry and aperture synthesis.

He matriculated as a member of Queens' College, Cambridge in 1949 and has been a Life Fellow of the College since 1999.