Inventor Name
Hale, George Ellery
Repository
Henry E. Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
626-405-2100
http://www.huntington.org
Physical Description
3 boxes (152 pieces)
Summary
George Ellery Hale, astronomer, was born in Chicago and educated at M.I.T., Harvard College Observatory, and the Univ. of Berlin. A specialist in solar and stellar spectroscopy, Hale organized the Kenwood Astrophysical Observatory for the Univ. of Chicago (and served as its director until 1896), where he also invented and developed the spectroheliograph, established the Astrophysical Journal, and served as the director of the Yerkes Observatory. In 1904 Hale moved to Pasadena, California, where he organized the Mount Wilson Observatory, served as its director until 1923, and was instrumental in the construction of the 200-inch reflecting telescope at Mount Palomar. Hale received numerous awards and honors in the international scientific community and was a leading force in the cultural and scientific growth of the Pasadena area. He served on the original board of trustees of the Huntington Library . The collection consists of correspondence from Hale to his friend, Harry Manley Goodwin, physicist and graduate dean of M.I.T. Subject matter includes: practical and theoretial aspects of astronomical research; information about other scientists (Norman Lockyar, William Whewell, William Jevons, Robert Millikan, Albert Michelson, and Albert Einstein); the administration and finance of scientific research, scientific oragnizations and publications; Hale's own experiments and theories; the Univ. of Chicago, California Institute of Technology, astronomical observatories, the foundation of the Huntington Library; and Hale's private and family life