The diagram / 1970
Harold D. Craft Jr.
The radio astronomer created the stacked plot from Arecibo observations for his Cornell doctoral thesis. Showing successive pulses as offset lines revealed their changing shapes. The plot was reproduced in an astronomy book and then on the album sleeve.
The full history
Read how the scientific diagram reached Joy Division and became the album sleeve.
Read the historyRead further
Research reviewed 24 October 2026.