Sir Fred Hoyle (1915–2001) was an English astrophysicist and mathematician. He was the foremost proponent and defender of the steady-state theory of the universe, which suggests that the universe is expanding and matter is being continuously created to keep the mean density of matter in space constant.
Born in Bingley, Yorkshire, now West Yorkshire, Hoyle was educated at Bingley Grammar School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He taught mathematics at Cambridge (1945–58,) was the Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy there (1958–72,) and was professor-at-large at Cornell University (1972–78.) He was the Honorary Research Professor at Manchester University (1972–2001) and University College-Cardiff (1975- 2001.)
In 1948, with cosmologist Hermann Bondi and astrophysicist Thomas Gold, Hoyle proposed the influential—but now disproved—‘steady state’ theory of the universe, which suggested that the universe is uniform in space and unchanging in time. He also put forward the currently accepted scenario of the build-up to supernovae, in which a massive explosion, in which matter is ejected into space, and recycled in second-generation stars, which form from the remnants, follows a chain of nuclear reactions in a star.
With the American physicist William A. Fowler, Hoyle described the processes of nucleosynthesis inside stars. He rejected the “Big Bang” theory, a term coined by him on BBC radio. His later work included the controversial suggestions that life on the earth has an extraterrestrial origin and that some viruses arrive from space.
Hoyle’s famous science works include Nature of the Universe (1952) and Frontiers of Astronomy (1955.) He also wrote science fiction, including The Black Cloud (1957,) A for Andromeda (1962, with J Elliot,) and The Molecule Men (1971, with his son, science fiction writer Geoffrey Hoyle.) He wrote stories for children and two volumes of autobiography, The Small World of Fred Hoyle (1986) and Home is Where the Wind Blows (1994.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Fred Hoyle
It is the true nature of mankind to learn from mistakes, not from example.
—Fred Hoyle
Topics: Mistakes, Failures
It is a mistake to imagine that potentially great men are rare. It is the conditions that permit the promise of greatness to be fulfilled that are rare. What is so difficult to achieve is the cultural background that permits potential greatness to be converted into actual greatness.
—Fred Hoyle
Topics: Greatness
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