Born: 29-Jun-1868
Birthplace: Chicago, IL
Died: 21-Feb-1938
Location of death: Pasadena, CA
Cause of death: unspecified
Remains: Cremated

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Occupation: Astronomer

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Palomar Observatory founder, astronomer

This astronomer invented the spectroheliograph in 1889, which allowed him to photograph the sun in broad daylight. One of his main discoveries was that the sun had a sunspot cycle of twenty two years. He graduated from MIT in 1890, and started the Astrophysical Journal in 1895. He was the first astronomer to be referred to as an astrophysicist. He held the position of Chairman on Solar Research for the National Academy of Sciences. In 1899 he helped found the American Astronomical Society. He was instrumental in the creation of the Yerkes Observatory 40 inch Refractor telescope. He founded the Mount Wilson Observatory and was its director until 1923. Hale worked to create Palomar Observatory, and in 1928 Caltech received a grant from the International Education Board. Work began on a 200-inch Pyrex glass disk to be used in the telescope at Palomar Observatory. Unfortunately Hale died before he was able to see the creation of the Hale telescope. Palomar Observatory was completed in 1948 and its telescope was named after him.

Father: William Ellery Hale (salesman)
Mother: Mary Scranton Browne
Sister: Martha
Brother: William
Wife: Evelina Conklin
Daughter: Margaret Hale

    Administrator: Director, Mount Wilson Observatory (1904-23)

    Rumford Prize 1902
    Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal 1904
    Henry Draper Medal 1904
    Bruce Medal 1916
    Copley Medal 1932
    Asteroid Namesake 1042 Hale
    Martian Crater Hale

Author of books:
Depths of the Universe (1924)
Beyond the Milky Way (1926)
Signals From the Stars (1931)

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