Alan Hale
Alan Hale | |
|---|---|
_1976_yearbook_photo.jpg) Alan Hale 1976 yearbook photo. | |
| Born |
1958-03-07 |
| Died | June 7, 2026 (aged 68) |
| Occupation | Aerospace engineer, Astronomer, Science educator |
| Known for | codiscoverer of Comet Hale Bopp, one of the brightest comets of the late 20th century |
| Spouse(s) |
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Alan Hale was an American Astronomer, best known as the discoverer or co-discoverer of many comets.[1]
Hale earned a Bachelor's degree was from the US Naval Academy, in 1980, and spent three years serving in the United States Navy.[1] In 1983 he began working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. His work there included playing a role in the Voyager 2 project.
In 1989 and 1993 he earned a Masters degree, and a PhD, in Astronomy, from New Mexico State University.[1] He worked as the staff Astronomer at the institution now known as the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
Hale's PhD thesis concerned the detection of exoplanets.[2] In 1995, he was the co-discoverer of Comet Hale Bopp, and he played role in finding 13P/Olbers in 2023.
Hale was a dedicated Astronomer, in his spare time, through-out his adult life. The Astronomical community honors the efforts of amateur Astronomers, like Hale, and Thomas Bopp, the co-discoverer of Comet Hale Bopp.
In 1991 the International Astronomical Union honored Hale by naming asteroid 4151 Alanhale after him, for the extensize work he had done on finding comets.
In 1992 Hale founded the Earthrise Institute, which had the goal of using Astronomy for Science education, particularly in aiding International relations.[3] He continued his ork ith the Institute until his death. One project was leading a lecture tour across Iran, in 1999.
Hale anticipated that Hale-Bopp's extraordinary brightness might trigger suicides, and this sadly proved to be the case, with a particularly notable mass suicide of dozens of Alien worshipping cultists.[4] Hale exploited the prominence his role in the comet's discovery brought him to help educate the public about Science.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Trip Gabriel (2026-06-11). "Alan Hale, Sky Watcher Who Created a Comet Sensation, Dies at 68". The New York Times. p. B11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑
Sabrina Garvin (2026-06-09). "Alan Hale (1958-2026)". Sky & Telescope magazine. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
Best known for his co-discovery of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) in July 1995, Hale was introduced to cometary observing by an article on Comet Tago-Sato-Kosaka (C/1969 T1) in the February 1970 issue of Sky & Telescope. After observing it in his 4½-inch Sears reflector and then seeing Comet Bennett (C/1969 Y1) two months later, Hale was hooked.
- ↑
Eric Alper (2026-06-07). "Alan Hale, Astronomer Who Co-Discovered Comet Hale-Bopp, Dies at 67". That Eric Alper. Archived from the original on 2026-06-07. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
The comet’s visibility in 1997 also brought one of the darkest chapters in the story of human credulity, when Heaven’s Gate cult members poisoned themselves in the belief that an alien spacecraft was following the comet and that their deaths would allow them to board it. Hale had anticipated something like it. He had told a colleague beforehand that suicides were likely, and when it happened he was at a press conference the following day, calling the deaths “another victory for ignorance and superstition” and using the platform the comet had given him to advocate as forcefully as he could for scientific literacy and rational thinking. He did so for the rest of his life.
- ↑
"Alan Hale obituary: star gazer who spotted a comet". The Times of London. 2026-07-08. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
Hale used his newfound fame to call for improved scientific literacy and employment opportunities for scientists, and did his best to get out ahead of the slew of conspiracy theories that arrived in the comet’s wake.