Today in the history of astronomy, the telescope mastermind is born.
Best known for his quest to build larger and larger telescopes, George Ellery Hale helped shape institutions of astronomical research through the 19th and 20th centuries. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Born June 29, 1868, in Chicago, George Ellery Hale revolutionized American astronomy by, among other things, championing the construction of ever-larger telescopes. He established Mount Wilson Observatory in 1904 and served as its director until 1923, overseeing the development of the 60-inch and 100-inch reflectors. He was also instrumental in the construction of the 40-inch refracting telescope at Yerkes Observatory and the 200-inch Hale Telescope at Caltech Palomar Observatory. All four were the largest telescopes in the world at the time of their completion, and they would go on to facilitate groundbreaking discoveries. Hale also made significant scientific discoveries of his own, particularly in the field of solar physics; helped transform Throop University into Caltech; and founded The Astrophysical Journal.
