Fred Hoyle

Sir
Fred Hoyle
Hoyle in 1967
Born(1915-06-24)24 June 1915
Gilstead, Bingley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died20 August 2001(2001-08-20) (aged 86)
Bournemouth, England
Alma materEmmanuel College, Cambridge
Known forCoining the phrase 'Big Bang'
Steady-state theory
Stellar nucleosynthesis theory
Triple-alpha process
Panspermia
Hoyle state
Hoyle's fallacy
Hoyle's model
B2FH paper
Hoyle–Narlikar theory
Bondi–Hoyle–Lyttleton accretion
Spouse
Barbara Clark
(m. 1939)
[2]
Children
  • Geoffrey Hoyle
  • Elizabeth Butler
Relatives
  • Samantha Butler (grandchild)[3]
  • Nicola Hoyle (grandchild)
Awards
  • Mayhew Prize (1936)
  • Smith's Prize (1938)
  • FRS (1957)[1]
  • Rittenhouse Medal (1960)
  • Kalinga Prize (1967)
  • Bakerian Medal (1968)
  • RAS Gold Medal (1968)
  • Jansky Lectureship (1969)
  • Bruce Medal (1970)
  • Henry Norris Russell Lectureship (1971)
  • Royal Medal (1974)
  • Balzan Prize (1994)
  • Klumpke-Roberts Award (1977)
  • Crafoord Prize (1997)
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy
InstitutionsSt John's College, Cambridge
Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge
Academic advisorsRudolf Peierls
Maurice Pryce
Philip Worsley Wood
Doctoral studentsJohn Moffat
Chandra Wickramasinghe
Cyril Domb
Jayant Narlikar
Leon Mestel
Peter Alan Sweet
Sverre Aarseth
Other notable studentsPaul C. W. Davies
Douglas Gough

Sir Fred Hoyle (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001)[1] was an English astronomer who formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis and was one of the authors of the influential B2FH paper.

He held controversial views on some scientific matters — in particular, in his rejection of the "Big Bang" theory (a term he mockingly coined on BBC Radio) in favour of a "steady-state model", and his promotion of panspermia as the origin of life on Earth.[4][5][6]

He spent most of his working life at St John's College, Cambridge, and served as the founding director of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy at Cambridge.

Hoyle also wrote science fiction novels, short stories, and radio plays, co-created television serials, and co-authored twelve books with his son, Geoffrey Hoyle.

  1. ^ a b Burbidge, G. (2003). "Sir Fred Hoyle. 24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001. Elected FRS 1957". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 49: 213–247. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2003.0013.
  2. ^ Sullivan, Walter (22 August 2001). "Fred Hoyle Dies at 86; Opposed 'Big Bang' but Named It". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Working to grow new wiring". Science News Prime. 2 (45). 3 December 2013.
  4. ^ Mitton, Simon (2011). "Chapter 12: Stones, Bones, Bugs and Accidents". Fred Hoyle: A Life in Science. Cambridge University Press.
  5. ^ Ferguson, Kitty (1991). Stephen Hawking: Quest For A Theory of Everything. Franklin Watts. ISBN 055329895X.
  6. ^ Gregory, Jane Fred Hoyle's Universe, Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 0191578460