Fred Hoyle

Sir Fred Hoyle (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) was an English astronomer. With Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge and William Alfred Fowler, he formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis in 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 jokingly coined on BBC Radio, though he 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, with his son, Geoffrey Hoyle, co-authored twelve books.