William Ellery Hale and Mary Browne gave birth to George Ellery Hale on June 29, 1868, in Chicago, Illinois. He is related to Thomas Hale, who lived in Watton-on-Stone, Hertfordshire, England.
In about 1640, Thomas Hale’s son went to the United States. His father made a lot of money making and installing passenger elevators during the rebuilding of Chicago after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed the city.
George was the oldest of three children who lived past childhood. Both his father, who supported the boy’s active mind and curiosity, and his mother, who taught him to love poetry and literature, gave him a lot of support.
Who Was George Ellery Hale?
George Ellery Hale was an American astronomer and solar physicist born on June 29, 1868, in Chicago, Illinois.
He was a pioneering figure in the study of the sun and is best known for his role in the development of astronomical instruments, including the spectroheliograph, which allowed astronomers to study the sun’s spectrum and magnetic fields.
Hale was a prolific scientist and is credited with several important discoveries in the field of astronomy. He discovered magnetic fields on the sun and demonstrated that sunspots are intense magnetic regions on the sun’s surface.
He also discovered that the sun’s magnetic fields change over time and that these changes are related to the sun’s activity cycle.
In addition to his work on the sun, Hale also made important contributions to the development of large telescopes.
He played a key role in the construction of several large telescopes, including the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin, the Mount Wilson Observatory in California, and the Palomar Observatory in California.
These telescopes were equipped with the latest technology and allowed astronomers to study the universe in greater detail than ever before.
Hale was widely recognized for his contributions to astronomy and received numerous awards and honors throughout his career.
He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and was awarded the Henry Draper Medal by the National Academy of Sciences in 1938. He was also awarded the Royal Astronomical Society’s Gold Medal in 1923.
George Ellery Hale Quotes
“Like buried treasures, the outposts of the universe have beckoned to the adventurous from immemorial times. Princes and potentates, political or industrial, equally with men of science, have felt the lure of the uncharted seas of space, and through their provision of instrumental means the sphere of exploration has made new discoveries and brought back permanent additions to our knowledge of the heavens.” ~ George Ellery Hale
“Like buried treasures, the outposts of the universe have beckoned to the adventurous from immemorial times…” ~ George Ellery Hale
“Some think that solar work is pretty well played out. In reality, it is only beginning.” ~ George Ellery Hale
“Starlight is falling on every square mile of the earth’s surface, and the best we can do at present is to gather up and concentrate the rays that strike at area 100 inches in diameter.” ~ George Ellery Hale
What Did George Ellery Hale Discover?
George Ellery Hale was an American astronomer and astrophysicist who made many significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and astrophysics. Some of his most notable discoveries include:
- Spectroheliograph: an instrument that allowed for high-resolution images of the Sun to be taken in various spectral lines.
- Magnetic fields on the Sun: He discovered that sunspots were associated with strong magnetic fields.
- Evidence of magnetic fields in stars: He found that many stars have magnetic fields, which was a surprising discovery at the time.
- Formation of stars: He proposed the theory that stars form from the gravitational collapse of interstellar gas clouds.
- Discovery of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter: He discovered the massive storm system on Jupiter in 1878, which has since become one of the most well-known features of the planet.
These discoveries helped to advance our understanding of the Sun and other celestial objects and solidified Hale’s reputation as one of the foremost astronomers of his time.
Conclusion
George Ellery Hale was a pioneering astronomer and solar physicist who made significant contributions to the study of the sun and the development of astronomical instruments.
He was a visionary scientist who pushed the boundaries of knowledge and paved the way for future generations of astronomers.
His legacy continues to inspire new research and discoveries in the field of astronomy.
