Jocelyn Bell Burnell recorded the first radio signals from source CP 1919, which later became known as PSR B1919+21.
On August 6, 1967, while a postgraduate student under Antony Hewish at the University of Cambridge, Jocelyn Bell Burnell made an accidental discovery that would eventually transform the field of astrophysics. She detected faint, inexplicable blips on the chart-recorder outputs from the Interplanetary Scintillation Array, later identified as radio signals from the distant source CP 1919, subsequently known as PSR B1919+21. Initially, the source of these signals was unclear, sparking intense academic curiosity. Bell Burnell's meticulous documentation and persistent analysis laid the groundwork for her subsequent discovery of the first radio pulsar, emphasizing the critical role that careful, observational science plays in major discoveries. This early detection marked the beginning of a new era in understanding neutron stars and compact celestial phenomena.