Person

Bolton, John Gatenby (1922 - 1993)

FRS

Born
5 June 1922
Sheffield, England
Died
6 July 1993
Occupation
Radio astronomer and Physicist

Summary

John Bolton was a Chief Research Scientist with the CSIRO Division of Radiophysics and was the first Director of the Parkes Telescope, later the Australian National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 1961-1971.

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Details

Born Sheffield, United Kingdom, 5 June 1922. Died Buderim, Queensland, 6 July 1993. CBE 1982. Educated University of Cambridge (graduated in physics 1942). Radar Officer, Royal Navy; Telecommunications Research Establishment; Radiophysics Laboratory, CSIR/O 1946-55; director of radio astronomy, Caltech 1955-61; director, Parkes Radio telescope (later Australian National Radio Astronomy Observatory) 1961-71, Astronomer at Large 1971-81. Edgeworth David Medal 1951; FAA 1965-80; Fellow, Royal Society 1973; Honorary Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences 1973; Gold Medal, Royal Astronomical Society 1977; Foreign Associate, U.S. National Academy of Sciences 1980; Bruce Medal, Astronomical Society of the Pacific (U.S.) 1988.

Archival resources

National Library of Australia Oral History Collection

  • John Gatenby Bolton - Records, 1940 - 1980, TRC 324; National Library of Australia Oral History Collection. Details

Published resources

Books

  • Bhathal, Ragbir, Australian Astronomers: Achievements at the Frontiers of Astronomy (Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1996), 243 pp. Details
  • Robertson, Peter, Radio astronomer: John Bolton and a new window on the universe (Sydney: NewSouth Publishing, 2017), 428 pp. Details

Book Sections

  • Bhathal, R., 'Bolton, John Gatenby (1922-1993), radio astronomer' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 19 1991-1995 (A-Z), Melanie Nolan, ed. (ANU Press, 2021), pp. 73-74, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bolton-john-gatenby-18055. Details
  • Lovell, Bernard, 'John Gatenby Bolton, 1922-1993' in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004). Details
  • Orchiston, Wayne and Kellerman, Kenneth I., 'Bolton, John Gatenby' in New Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Koertge, Noretta, ed., vol. 1 (Detroit : Charles Scribner's Sons, 2008), pp. 332-337 . Details

Journal Articles

  • Bolton, J. G., 'Radio Astronomy at Dover Heights', Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 4 (4) (1982), 349-358. Details
  • Bolton, J. G., 'The Fortieth Anniversary of Extragalactic Radio Astronomy: Radiophysics in Exile', Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 8 (4) (1990), 381-383. Details
  • Ekers, R. D., 'John Bolton's Variable-baseline Interferometer and the Structure of Radio Galaxies', Australian Journal of Physics, 47 (5) (1994), 569-576. Details
  • Milne, D. K., 'John Bolton and the Rainmakers', Australian Journal of Physics, 47 (5) (1994), 549-554. Details
  • Orchiston, Wayne, 'John Bolton, Discrete Sources, and the New Zealand Field Trip of 1948', Australian Journal of Physics, 47 (5) (1994), 541-548. Details
  • Orchiston, Wayne; and Robertson, Peter, 'The origins and development of extragalactic radio astronomy: the role of the CSIRO's Division of Radiophysics Dover Heights Field Station in Sydney', Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 20 (3) (2017), 289-312. Details
  • Roberts, J. A., 'Some Memories of John Bolton from Caltech and Early years at Parkes', Australian Journal of Physics, 47 (5) (1994), 561-568. Details
  • Robertson, P.; Orchiston, W.; and Slee, B., 'John Bolton and the discovery of discrete radio sources', Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 17 (2014), 283-306. Details
  • Robertson, Peter, 'John Bolton and Australian Astronomy', Australian Physicist, 21 (1984), 178-179. Details
  • Savage, Ann, 'Wild, Woolley and Savage - or How John Bolton and I Went Hunting for Quasars and QSOs', Australian Journal of Physics, 47 (5) (1994), 589-590. Details
  • Stanley, Gordon J., 'Recollections of John G. Bolton at Dover Heights and Caltech', Australian Journal of Physics, 47 (5) (1994), 507-516. Details
  • Westfold, K. C., 'John Bolton - Some Early Memories', Australian Journal of Physics, 47 (5) (1994), 535-540. Details
  • Whiteoak, J. B., 'John Bolton as a Pioneer of OH Spectroscopy', Australian Journal of Physics, 47 (5) (1994), 577-584. Details
  • Wild, J. P.; and Radhakrishnan, V. R., 'John Gatenby Bolton 1922-1993', Historical Records of Australian Science, 10 (4) (1995), 381-391. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9951040381. Details

Resources

Resource Sections

See also

  • Bowen, E. G., 'From wartime radar to postwar radio astronomy in Australia', Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Australia, 8 (1), 1-11. Details
  • Brown, R. Hanbury; Minnett, Harry C; White, Fredrick W. G., 'Edward George Bowen 1911-1991', Historical Records of Australian Science, 9 (2) (1992), 151-166. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9920920151. Details
  • Engineers Australia ed., Wonders never cease: 100 Australian engineering achievements (Barton, Australian Capital Territory: Institution of Engineers, Australia, 2019), 236 pp. p.212. Details
  • Mills, B. Y., 'Australian contribution to the science of radioastronomy', Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Australia, 8 (1) (1988), 12-23. Details

Digital resources

Title
John Gatenby Bolton
Type
Image

Details

McCarthy, G.J.

Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 11 January 2022

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