Which Is Better, Fame or a Nobel Prize?

In 1967 Jocelyn Bell (now Jocelyn Bell Burnell) discovered the first pulsar. Her advisor got the Noble Prize for it. Was that unjust? Well, I’ve heard of Jocelyn Bell, but not her advisor. I’m pretty sure I encountered her name within just a few years of her discovery, if not within a year, and it has stuck with me. I recently read about this business (in Astronomy magazine), but even though I’ve read the little item twice in the last few days, I still can’t remember the name of her advisor.

By the way, here is her account of the discovery, as well as stories of others – some of them just ordinary people – who may have stumbled onto pulsars before she did.