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Almanac > Astronomers

George Hale

Geroge Hale (1868 - 1938) was an American astronomer who is best known for his work in solar astronomy.  He is also esteemed for his role in founding some of the most important astronomical observatories in the world.

In 1908, Hale made his most influential discovery.  Using a device called a spectroheliograph (which he invented), he observed that light from sun spots was altered in ways that suggested that they were produced by powerful magnetic fields.

He also helped found some of the most powerful observatories of their time including the Mount Wilson Observatory, the Palomar Observatory, and the Yerkes Observatory.
 


 

 


George Hale
 

 
 
Fact Sheet

Born

  June 29,1868 in Chicago, Illinois, USA
 

Died

  February 21, 1938 in Pasadena, California, USA
 

Nationality

  American
 

Fields

  Astronomy
 

Education

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
 

Achievements

 
  • Invented the spectroheliograph
  • Helped found the Mount Wilson Observatory
  • Helped found the Palomar Observatory
  • Helped found the Yerkes Observatory
  • Helped found the Hale Solar Observatory
  • Helped develop the Hale Telescope, a 200-inch reflecting telescope at the California Institute of Technology
  • Co-founded the The Astrophysical Journal

Discoveries

  Discovered the solar vortices and magnetic fields in sunspots
 

Works

 
  • Depths of the Universe (1924)
  • Beyond the Milky Way (1926)
  • Signals from the Stars (1931).

Awards

 
  • Henry Draper Medal (1904)
  • Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1904)
  • Bruce Medal (1916)
  • Janssen Medal (1917)
  • Galileo Medal, Florence, (1920)
  • Actonian Prize (1921)
  • Copley Medal (1932)
  • Elliott Cresson Medal in Physics (1926)
  • Franklin Medal in Physics (1927)