Fred Hoyle
Sir Fred Hoyle FRS (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) was an English astronomer who formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis and was one of the authors of the influential B2FH paper. He also held controversial stances on other scientific matters—in particular his rejection of the "Big Bang" theory (a term coined by him on BBC Radio) in favor of the "steady-state model", and his promotion of panspermia as the origin of life on Earth. 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.
Sir Fred Hoyle | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 June 1915 |
| Died | 20 August 2001 (aged 86) Bournemouth, England |
| Alma mater | Emmanuel College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Coining 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) |
| Children |
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| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | St John's College, Cambridge Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge |
| Academic advisors | Rudolf Peierls Maurice Pryce Philip Worsley Wood |
| Doctoral students | John Moffat Chandra Wickramasinghe Cyril Domb Jayant Narlikar Leon Mestel Peter Alan Sweet Sverre Aarseth |
| Other notable students | Paul C. W. Davies Douglas Gough |
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.