BornBingley, West Yorkshire, England, 24 June 1915
DiedBournemouth, Dorset, England, 20 August 2001
Fred Hoyle applied field theory to cosmology (including a new matter-creation field), proposed an alternative theory of gravitation, and developed time-symmetric electrodynamics. He was thereby an intellectual link, stretching from the theories of Albert Einstein and Paul Dirac , toward modern cosmological theories. A national figure, he was knighted in 1972 for a number of distinguished contributions to astronomy and to the United Kingdom – Hoyle had worked on radar during World War II, founded Cambridge’s Institute of Theoretical Astronomy, and chaired the Science Research Council’s advisory committee for the Anglo-Australian Telescope. His name became well known to the public following his British Broadcasting Company broadcasts in 1950. Hoyle’s 1955 book, Frontiers of Astronomy, inspired both astronomers and the public.
Hoyle grew up in industrial western Yorkshire. In his...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Selected References
Arnett, David D. (2002). “Sir Fred Hoyle (1915–2001).” Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 114: 262–264.
Burbidge, Geoffrey (2003). “Sir Fred Hoyle.” Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 49: 213–247.
Burbidge, Geoffrey and Margaret Burbidge (2002). “Sir Fred Hoyle 1915–2001.” Observatory 122: 133–136.
Clayton, Donald D. (2001). “Fred Hoyle, 1915–2001.” Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 33: 1570–1572.
Gregory, Jane (2003). “The Popularization and Excommunication of Fred Hoyle’s ‘Life?from?Space’ Theory.” Public Understanding of Science 12: 25–46.
Hoyle, Fred (1994). Home is Where the Wind Blows: Chapters from a Cosmologist’s Life. Mill Valley, California: University Science Books.
Kragh, Helge (1996). Cosmology and Controversy: The Historical Development of Two Theories of the Universe. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Lynden?Bell, Donald (2001). “Sir Fred Hoyle (1915–2001).” Observatory 121: 405–408.
McConnell, Craig Sean (2000). “The Big Bang?Steady State Controversy: Cosmology in Public and Scientific Forums.” Ph.D. diss., University of Wisconsin?Madison.
Mitton, Simon (2005). Conflict in the Cosmos: Fred Hoyle’s Life in Science. Washington: Joseph Henry Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
Clayton, D.D. (2014). Hoyle, Fred. In: Hockey, T., et al. Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9917-7_657
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9917-7_657
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-9916-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-9917-7
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics