Abstract
AbstractThe discovery of radio source Sagittarius A (Sgr A) and its association with the centre of the Milky Way is a fascinating story, involving RPL personnel and prominent US and Dutch astronomers. When we say “discovery”, however, we do not mean a single event. Contra the conventions in science that award prizes, professional respect and that very nebulous (!) phenomenon of “historical recognition” to individuals, discovery is a lengthy process involving many actors, many different kinds of contributions, and many events. This was understood by one of the actors involved in this story: the famous astronomer Hendrick “Henk” van de Hulst, who had predicted the existence of the HI line at radio frequencies. Reflecting back on the history of radio astronomy, van de Hulst suggested the concept of “nanohertz astronomy”– that is, history of astronomy on a longer timescale.
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