num_pages: 369
description: "A veritable cult figure to many, Sir Fred Hoyle was one of the most important - and controversial - figures of 20th century science. A man of relentless energy whose prolific career spanned more than 60 years, he made major contributions to fundamental astronomy and astrophysics. His greatest legacy consists of seminal work on the evolution of stars, the origin of the chemical elements, the nature of gravitational forces, and the origin of life on Earth. But it was Fred Hoyle's rare talent as a science communicator, as an expert scientist on the BBC, and a writer of now-classic science fiction novels that made him a household name in the 1950s." "Hoyle gained prominence for demonstrating that carbon and all the heavier elements had been created by thermonuclear reactions inside stars whose explosive deaths then scattered them throughout space. It is thanks to Fred Hoyle that we know that we are, literally, made of stardust. In the late 1940s, after wartime work on naval radar, he developed the 'steady state' theory of the universe which was soon challenged by rivals who were promoting what Hoyle derisively referred to as the 'big bang' theory." Simon Mitton's biography draws on his personal knowledge of Fred Holye: the scientist and his science, his collaborators and critics, and his students. Mitton recreates many public clashes between Hoyle and his critics and clearly explains the fascinating science underlying the conflicts.
language: English
title: Fred Hoyle : A Life in Science
titlecomplete: Fred Hoyle : A Life in Science
genres: Science, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 15
publisher: Aurum Press Ltd