Hoyle's Youth

A Letter to his Father

Hoyle wrote this letter to his father Ben on 17 August c.1930. Fred and his mother Mabel were visiting friends in Dartford. During the visit, Fred and Mabel visited Clarksons optical stores on High Holborn in central London, and bought a telescope which still survives today. Fred’s letter describes the observations he made when the telescope had been brought back to Dartford, including observations of the sun using the solar filter, and night-time observations of Mizar (Zeta Ursae Majoris), Arcturus (Alpha Boötis), and Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris). He includes a drawing of the planet Saturn as seen through the telescope, described as a "beautiful sight".

The Hoyle Family | Chemical Balance | Scholarship Examination Papers | A Letter to his Father | Hoyle's Telescope

Page 1 | Pages 2 and 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Pages 6 and 7 | Page 8 | Transcription of the letter

Hoyle's Youth | Hoyle in Cambridge | Steady-State Universe | Stellar Nucleosynthesis | Hoyle vs Ryle | Institute of Theoretical Astronomy | Hoyle on the Radio | Hoyle the Writer | Hoyle the Polymath | Honours and Medals

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