Science & Technology, 2nd prize
Simon Norfolk
for The Independent Magazine
for The Independent Magazine
04 June, 2000
Radio telescopes are some of the most sensitive scientific instruments known to man, yet they are also among the largest. The Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Obsevatory in northern England is the oldest such telescope in the world, and the place where radio astronomy was invented.
Some 3,500 tons of steel support a dish 76m in diameter, making an instrument that is more powerful than the famous Hubble telescope. Without the annual application of 5,200 liters of weatherproof paint, the telescope on the exposed Cheshire Plain would rust away. Scaffolding cannot be used, as the telescope remains operative at night after daytime maintenance work. Instead, specially trained painters use ropes and harnesses to do the job.
Simon Norfolk
Simon has produced four major books: For Most Of It I Have No Words (1998) about the landscapes of genocide, Afghanistan: Chronotopia (2002), 'Bleed' (2005) about the war in Bosn...
Through our education programs, the World Press Photo Foundation encourages diverse accounts of the world that present stories with different perspectives.
Our exhibitions showcase stories that make people stop, feel, think and act to a worldwide audience.
Our annual contest recognizes and rewards the best in photojournalism and documentary photography.