Walter Frederick Gale

Walter Frederick Gale (27 November 1865 – 1 June 1945) was an Australian banker. Gale was born in Paddington, Sydney. 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 honor. It was selected as the 2012 landing site for the Curiosity Rover.^[2]

^ Biography - Walter Frederick Gale - Australian Dictionary of Biography
^ The Associated Press (November 26, 2011). "NASA Launches Sophisticated Rover on Journey to Mars". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/science/space/nasas-curiosity-rover-sets-off-for-mars-mission.html. Retrieved November 26, 2011.

External links

Gale on the Australian Dictionary of Biography

Persondata
Name	Gale, Walter
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	27 November 1865
Place of birth
Date of death	1 June 1945
Place of death