Fred Hoyle
A Life in Science

Written from personal accounts and interviews with his contemporaries, this book gives valuable insights into Fred Hoyle's unforgettable life.

Simon Mitton (Author)

9780521189477, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 February 2011

384 pages, 22 b/w illus.
23.4 x 15.6 x 1.6 cm, 0.66 kg

'… provides a lively look at the frustrations, failures and triumphs of Hoyle and the people with whom he surrounded himself during his career. Anyone who enjoys reading about larger-than-life characters will enjoy this book.' Journal of the History of Astronomy

The scientific life of Fred Hoyle (1915–2001) was truly unparalleled. During his career he wrote groundbreaking scientific papers and caused bitter disputes in the scientific community with his revolutionary theories. Hoyle is best known for showing that we are all, literally, made of stardust in his paper explaining how carbon, and then all the heavier elements, were created by nuclear reactions inside stars. However, he constantly courted controversy and two years later he followed this with his 'steady state' theory of the universe. This challenged another model of the universe, which Hoyle called the 'big bang' theory. Fred Hoyle was also famous amongst the general public. He popularised his research through radio and television broadcasts and wrote best-selling novels. Written from personal accounts and interviews with Hoyle's contemporaries, this book gives valuable personal insights into Fred Hoyle and his unforgettable life.

Foreword Paul Davies
Prologue
1. An end and a beginning
2. Training for cosmology
3. The star makers
4. Hoyle's secret war
5. The nature of the Universe
6. Lives of the stars
7. Clash of Titans
8. Origin of the chemical elements
9. Matters of gravity
10. Mountains to climb
11. The watershed
12. Stones, bones, bugs and accidents
Acknowledgements
Notes
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Popular astronomy & space [WNX], Cosmology & the universe [PGK], Biography: science, technology & medicine [BGT]