Fred Hoyle (English astronomer and SF writer) Add a review

Sir Fred Hoyle (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) was an English astronomer who formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis and was one of the authors of the influential B²FH paper.

He held controversial views on some scientific matters — in particular, in his rejection of the "Big Bang" theory (a term he allegedly jokingly coined on BBC Radio but later denied doing so in derision) in favour of a "steady-state model", and his promotion of panspermia as the origin of life on Earth.

He spent most of his working life at St John's College, Cambridge, and served as the founding director of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy at Cambridge.

Hoyle also wrote science fiction novels, short stories, and radio plays, co-created television serials, and co-authored twelve books with his son, Geoffrey Hoyle.