Govind Swarup, Indian radioastronomer (Thakurdwara, Uttar Pradesh State 23 March 1929 – Pune, Maharashtra State 07 September 2020)

Authored over 125 papers and 4 books

ACHIEVEMENTS

Discovered type U solar radio bursts

Found the first example of a steep spectrum “bridge” of radio emission between the two radio lobes of a radio galaxy (1962)

First provided high-resolution angular data for more than 1000 weak radio sources (1970s)

Discovered a relation between the angular sizes of radio sources and their flux density

Developed a gyro-radiation model for explaining the microwave solar emission

With A. Maxwell. A new spectral characteristic in solar radio emission. Nature 181:36-8, 1958

PATENTS/METHODS/INNOVATIONS

Developed  a round trip transmission technique for phase measurements (1959)

Constructed a parabolic-cylindrical radio telescope of a unique and innovative design (1960s)

Produced innovative concepts and designs for radio telescopes

Conceived and headed the design and construction of Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, the world’s largest radio telescope operating the frequency range of about 130-1430 MHz (1984-96)

With V.K. Kapahi. A simple image forming technique suitable for multifrequency observations of solar radio bursts. Solar Physics 14:404-13, 1970

A fixed mirror line focus solar concentrator (patent)

A preloaded parabolic dish antenna and method of designing it (patent)

HONOURS 

Tsiolkovsky Medal, Federation of Cosmonautics, USSR (1987)

Delinger Gold Medal, International Union of Radio Sciences (1990)

Herschel Medal, Royal Astronomical Society (2005)

Grote Reber Medal, Australia (2007)