George Ellery Hale correspondence, 1887-1937

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Summary

Creators:
Hale, George Ellery, 1868-1938
Abstract:
Letters by American astronomer George Ellery Hale to his friend, Harry Manley Goodwin, physicist, and dean of graduate students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Extent:
3.6 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. George Ellery Hale correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of correspondence from Hale to his friend, Harry Manley Goodwin, physicist, and graduate dean of MIT. Subject matter includes: practical and theoretical aspects of astronomical research, information about other scientists (Norman Lockyer, William Whewell, William Jevons, Robert Millikan, Albert Michelson, and Albert Einstein), the administration and finance of scientific research, scientific organizations and publications, Hale's own experiments and theories, the University of Chicago, California Institute of Technology, astronomical observatories, the foundation of the Huntington Library, and Hale's private and family life.

Biographical / historical:

George Ellery Hale, astronomer, was born in Chicago and educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard College Observatory, and the University of Berlin. A specialist in solar and stellar spectroscopy, Hale organized the Kenwood Astrophysical Observatory for the University 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.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Richard Hale Goodwin, August 1958 and January 1969.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff. In July 2024, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. George Ellery Hale correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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