Walter Frederick Gale

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Walter Frederick Gale (born November 27, 1865 in Paddington (New South Wales) , † June 1, 1945 in Waverly (New South Wales) ) was an Australian banker and astronomer.

Life

Gale's banking career began in 1888 with the Savings Bank of New South Wales. In 1897 he became an accountant and from 1914 a manager. After retiring in 1925, he was the manager of Hoskins Investments Ltd until 1938.

Gale's interest in astronomy was piqued by his father and solidified with the appearance of the great comet in 1882 . In 1884 he built his first telescope with a 18 centimeter mirror. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in London and visited Chile and the USA . On his return to Australia he founded the branch of the local British Astronomical Association in New South Wales and was its secretary and president for many years.

Gale discovered seven comets , including the periodic 34D / Gale . Comets 1894 II and 1912 II were named after Gale. He also discovered some double stars . In 1892 he described oases and canals as part of his Mars observation .

Gale died of a heart attack while being observed at night at the age of 79.

The Mars crater , in which the Mars rover Curiosity landed in 2012, was named after Gale .

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Obituary Notices: Gale, Walter Frederick . bibcode : 1946MNRAS.106Q..29. (English).
  2. ↑ NASA Launches Sophisticated Rover on Journey to Mars. Retrieved January 26, 2012 .
personal data
SURNAME Gale, Walter Frederick
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian astronomer and banker
DATE OF BIRTH November 27, 1865
PLACE OF BIRTH Paddington, New South Wales
DATE OF DEATH June 1, 1945
Place of death Waverly (New South Wales)