Walter Frederick Gale

Walter Frederick Gale (27 November 1865 – 1 June 1945) was an Australian banker. Gale was born in Paddington, Sydney, New South Wales. He had a strong interest in astronomy and built his first telescope in 1884.[1]

He discovered a number of comets, including the lost periodic comet 34D/Gale. He also discovered some double stars. In 1892 he described oases and canals on Mars. He was awarded the Jackson-Gwilt Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1935 for "discoveries of comets and his work for astronomy in New South Wales."

A crater on Mars, Gale Crater, was named in his honour. It was selected as the 2012 landing site for the Curiosity Rover.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Biography - Walter Frederick Gale - Australian Dictionary of Biography
  2. ↑ The Associated Press (26 November 2011). "NASA Launches Sophisticated Rover on Journey to Mars". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2011.

External links


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