Editing Alan Hale (astronomer)

{{Short description|Astronomer, co-discoverer of Comet Hale–Bopp (born 1958)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name    = Alan Hale
|image = Astronomer Alan Hale at the Cosmic Carnival held at Cottonwood Mall in Albuquerque on Sept. 10th, 2005 (cropped).jpg
|caption=Hale in 2005
| birth_date= {{Birth year and age|1958}}
| birth_place = [[Tachikawa]], Japan
| nationality = American
| death_date  = 
| death_place = 
| alma_mater  = {{Unbulleted list|[[New Mexico State University]]|[[United States Naval Academy]]}}
| field       = {{hlist|[[Astronomy]], [[physics]]}}
| work_institutions = [[New Mexico Museum of Space History]]<br/> Earthrise Institute
| doctoral_advisor =
| thesis_title= Orbital coplanarity in solar-type binary systems: implications for planetary system formation and detection
| thesis_year = 1992 
| doctoral_students = 
| known_for   = Co-discovery of [[Comet Hale–Bopp]]
| prizes      = 
| spouse      = 
| signature = 
}}

'''Alan Hale''' (born 1958)<ref name = Dissertation>{{cite book|last1=Hale|first1=Alan|title= Ph.D. Thesis: Orbital coplanarity in solar-type binary systems: implications for planetary system formation and detection|date=May 1992|url = http://libcat.nmsu.edu/vwebv/holdingsInfo?searchId=430&recCount=25&recPointer=4&bibId=417275|publisher=University Microfilms International|location=New Mexico State University (Branson Library)|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref> is an American professional [[astronomer]] who co-discovered [[Comet Hale–Bopp]] independently of its other co-discoverer, [[Thomas Bopp]], an [[Amateur astronomy|amateur astronomer]].<ref name=IAU/>

Hale specializes in the study of [[Solar analog|Sun-like stars]] and the search for [[Exoplanet|extra-solar planetary systems]], and has side interests in the fields of [[comet]]s and [[Near-Earth object#Near-Earth asteroids|near-Earth asteroids]]. He has been an active astronomer most of his life and currently serves as the president of the Earthrise Institute, which he founded, and which has as its mission the use of astronomy as a tool for breaking down international and intercultural barriers. The [[International Astronomical Union]] (IAU) has named an asteroid in Hale's honor, [[4151 Alanhale]], in recognition of his numerous comet observations.

==Early life and career==
Hale was born in 1958 in [[Tachikawa]], Japan,<ref name="Dissertation" /> where his father was serving in the [[United States Air Force]].<ref name="FFRF">{{cite web|title=Alan Hale|url=https://ffrf.org/news/day/dayitems/item/14697-alan-hale|website=FFRF.org|date=March 7, 1980 |access-date=September 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829012023/https://ffrf.org/news/day/dayitems/item/14697-alan-haleL|archive-date = August 29, 2017|url-status = live}}</ref> Four months later his father was transferred to [[Holloman Air Force Base]] outside [[Alamogordo, New Mexico]].<ref name = Knoxville>{{cite web|title=An Interview with Astronomer Alan Hale – CTV call-in (Knoxville Freethought Forum 4/23/13)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuAg1WA5fW0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/RuAg1WA5fW0 |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|website=Youtube.com| date=April 23, 2013 |access-date=September 11, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Hale was raised in Alamogordo, where his father retired from the Air Force and worked in civil service. In 2013 Hale said, "I refuse to say that 'I grew up there' because anyone who know me knows that I really haven’t grown up yet."<ref name = Knoxville/>
He credits several factors for inspiring his interest in science and [[astronomy]] in the 1960s: the clear night skies in Alamogordo, library books on astronomy his father gave him in the first grade, the [[US space program]], and the original ''[[Star Trek]]'' TV series. Hale also said that as a child he was interested in other sciences as well, and he "went through a dinosaur phase when I was in 2nd grade. I knew them all. Drove my parent nuts."<ref name = Knoxville/>
 
Hale graduated from Alamogordo High School in 1976, and then served in the [[United States Navy]] from 1976 to 1983.<ref name = FFRF/><ref name = SWISR>{{cite web|title=Biography of Alan Hale|url=http://www.swisr.org/ahbio.html|website=SWISR.org|access-date=September 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829013029/http://www.swisr.org/ahbio.html|archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> He graduated from the [[U.S. Naval Academy]] in 1980 with a [[bachelor's degree]] in [[physics]].<ref name = Dissertation/><ref name = FFRF/>
Following his Navy service he worked at the [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] (JPL) until 1986 as an engineering contractor for [[Bendix Corporation|Allied Bendix Aerospace]]<ref name = Dissertation/> working on the [[Deep Space Network]] project, as well as on several [[spacecraft]] projects. During the 1986 [[Voyager 2]] fly-by of [[Uranus]], he worked with the Radio Science Experiment, using the spacecraft [[Carrier wave|carrier signal]] to deduce information about Uranus' atmosphere and [[Rings of Uranus|rings]].<ref name = Knoxville/><ref name = SWISR/>

After leaving the JPL, Hale enrolled in the astronomy department of [[New Mexico State University]],  [[Las Cruces, New Mexico|Las Cruces]], where he earned a Master's Degree and a PhD in 1989 and 1992 respectively, both in astronomy.<ref name = SWISR/> His [[doctorate|doctoral]] [[Thesis|dissertation]] was published in the January 1994 issue of ''[[The Astronomical Journal]]''.<ref name=AJ>{{cite journal|last1=Hale|first1=Alan|title= Orbital coplanarity in solar-type binary systems: implications for planetary system formation and detection|journal=The Astronomical Journal|date= December 20, 1993|volume= 107, Number 1|issue=Jan. 1994|pages=306|bibcode=1994AJ....107..306H|doi=10.1086/116855|doi-access=free}}</ref>
After completing his studies at the New Mexico State University, Hale worked at the [[New Mexico Museum of Space History]] in Alamogordo as its staff astronomer and outreach education coordinator.<ref name = SWISR/><ref name = B37/>

==Earthrise Institute==
In 1993 Hale founded the Southwest Institute for Space Research (SWISR), which later became the Earthrise Institute, where Hale serves as president.<ref name = SWISR/><ref name=ERI/><ref name="SpaceFest">{{cite web|title=Alan Hale – Founder and Director, Southwest Institute for Space Research|url=https://www.spacefest.info/?avada_portfolio=alan-hale-founder-and-director-southwest-institute-for-space-research|website=Spacefest|access-date=September 17, 2016|archive-date=April 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425110107/https://www.spacefest.info/?avada_portfolio=alan-hale-founder-and-director-southwest-institute-for-space-research|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Hale said "there is an entire generation that has come of age having never really seen the dark sky", so part of what he wanted to accomplish with Earthrise was "to create an environment where students could spend some nights out under a dark sky and see what it really looks like."<ref name = FEP/>

In 1999 Hale assembled a group of American scientists, students and educators to go on a 2 week+ trip to [[Iran]] (coinciding with a [[solar eclipse]]) where they gave talks throughout the country. Hale feels that "Science is a{{nbsp}}... universal language" and "it would be a great idea if we could use science as a tool to bring people together{{nbsp}}... to break down barriers between nations and between cultures." Hale uses the expression 'Science Diplomacy' in this context, which he says it's possible he coined. "The sky looks the same from Iran as it does from here in the US. It’s the same sky we study{{nbsp}}... Science does not know political boundaries."<ref name = Knoxville/>

This sentiment is reflected in the mission of his Earthrise Institute, which is "to use astronomy, space, and other related endeavors as a tool for breaking down international and intercultural barriers and for bringing humanity together."<ref name = Knoxville/><ref>{{cite web|title=The Earthrise Mission|url=http://www.earthriseinstitute.org/mission.html|website=Earthriseinstitute.org|access-date=September 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829022902/http://www.earthriseinstitute.org/mission.html|archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> Earthrise's inaugural educational project was announced in a press release on March 1, 2007:
{{quote|text=The Earthrise Institute is pleased to announce its inaugural educational project, entitled "Countdown to 500 Comets." The project takes its name and focus from Earthrise Institute founder and President Alan Hale's quest to observe 500 comets, a quest he began over 37 years ago. He has recently collected his 400th comet and, in his words, "I've decided to share my quest for comet number 500 with the astronomy students of the world{{nbsp}}... Students of all ages and nationalities are invited to participate in "Countdown." The goal{{nbsp}}... is for students to observe as many of Dr. Hale's next 100 comets as they are able, either by viewing them through a telescope, and/or by taking images of them with appropriately equipped telescopic cameras. Special awards will be presented to any student who successfully observes ten of Dr. Hale's next 100 comets. Hale estimates that it will take five to seven years for him to collect those 100 comets, and thus there are plenty of opportunities for participation.<ref>{{cite web|title=EARTHRISE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL EDUCATIONAL PROJECT|url=http://www.earthriseinstitute.org/countdown.htm|website=Earthriseinstitute.org|access-date=September 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829013524/http://www.earthriseinstitute.org/countdown.htm|archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref>}}

Hale remains active with the Earthrise Institute performing science outreach. For example, his "In Our Skies" column appears in the ''[[Alamogordo Daily News]]'', in which he discusses current astronomical issues.<ref name = 2016Ups>{{cite web|last1=Hale|first1=Alan|title=A look back at 2016's ups and downs|url=http://www.alamogordonews.com/story/news/local/community/2017/01/07/look-back-2016s-ups-and-downs/96281772/|website=AlamogordoNews.com|publisher=USA Today|access-date=May 29, 2017| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170829013742/http://www.alamogordonews.com/story/news/local/community/2017/01/07/look-back-2016s-ups-and-downs/96281772/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=| archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref><ref name = Cygnus>{{cite web|last1=Hale|first1=Alan|title=Cygnus' swan is flying down the Milky Way in our nighttime skies|url=http://www.alamogordonews.com/story/news/local/community/2017/05/28/cygnus-swan-flying-down-milky-way-our-nighttime-skies/102248730/|website=AlamogordoNews|publisher=USA Today|access-date=May 29, 2017}}</ref>

In 2019, Hale announced he was authoring a weekly educational series about the "small bodies" of the Solar System. The series, titled Ice and Stone 2020, features three presentations about comets and asteroids – This Week in History, Comet of the week, and a Special Topic – being released each week throughout 2020. Ice and Stone 2020 is available for free online at the websites of both the Earthrise Institute and RocketSTEM.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ice and Stone 2020|url=http://www.earthriseinstitute.org/is20home.html}}</ref>

==Discovery of Comet Hale–Bopp==
[[File:Comet (circled).png|thumbnail|right|[[Comet Hale–Bopp]]]]
Hale first spotted the comet that would come to bear his name from his home in [[Cloudcroft, New Mexico|Cloudcroft]], New Mexico, where the night sky is exceptionally dark. Since 1970 Hale had observed over 200 known comets, and on the night of July 22–23, 1995, after finishing his observations of periodic Comet Clark, and while waiting for periodic [[6P/d'Arrest|Comet d'Arrest]] to become visible above the horizon, he "decided to pass the time by observing some deep-sky objects in [[Sagittarius (constellation)|Sagittarius]]", and pointed his Meade DS-16 telescope towards [[globular cluster]] [[Messier 70|M70]]. He said that he "immediately noticed a fuzzy object in the field" which had not been present when he had observed that region of the sky two weeks earlier.<ref name=IAU>{{cite web|title=IAUC 6187: 1995 O1| url=http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/06100/06187.html|website=cbat.eps.harvard.edu|publisher=IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams|access-date=September 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807005650/http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/06100/06187.html|archive-date = August 7, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref><ref name = FEP>{{cite web|title=Comet Hale–Bopp| date=July 23, 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C5qyDryAF0&t=51 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/1C5qyDryAF0 |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|via=Youtube.com|publisher=Foolish Earthling Productions| access-date=September 11, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
<ref name=Discovery>{{cite web|title=The Discovery of Comet Hale–Bopp|url=http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/discovery.html|website=jpl.nasa.gov|publisher=NASA/JPL|access-date=September 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829022221/https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/discovery.html|archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref><ref name=NatGeo>{{cite web|last1=Newcott|first1=William|title=The Age of Comets|url=http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/comets-age.html#page=1|website=science.nationalgeographic.com|access-date=September 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829021917/http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/comets-age.html#page=1|archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = dead}}</ref>

After consulting his astronomical sources, and determining that the comet was likely unknown, Hale says: 
{{quote|text=I sent an email to Brian Marsden and Dan Green at the [[Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams|Central Bureau]]{{nbsp}}... informing them of a possible comet; later, when I had verified that the object had moved against the background stars, I sent them an additional email. I continued to follow the comet for a total of about 3 hours, until it set behind trees in the southwest, and then was able to email a detailed report, complete with two positions.<ref name=Discovery/>}}

Unknown to Hale, that night [[Thomas Bopp]] was observing the same region of the sky with friends near [[Stanfield, Arizona]]. At around 11:00 pm, Bopp was observing M70 through his telescope and "noticed a fainter, fuzzy object coming into the field". Bopp and his friends determined that it was a comet, and after Bopp returned home he informed Central Bureau of his discovery.<ref name=Discovery/>

[[File:Cal Pons Torre Nova - Hale Boop.jpg|thumbnail|left|Comet Hale–Bopp]]
On July 23, the [[IAU]] issued Circular 6187<ref name=IAU/> to announce the joint discovery of the new comet.<ref name=Discovery/> Per Hale, calculations indicate that Hale–Bopp likely last appeared on the order of 4000 years ago, but any record of this previous encounter had not yet been positively identified from ancient records.<ref name = Knoxville/> It has also been determined that Hale–Bopp will not return to the [[inner Solar System]] until approximately 4385.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Vitagliano |first1=Aldo |title=Solex 10 estimate for Next Perihelion of C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) |url=http://home.surewest.net/kheider/astro/Hale-Bopp4385.txt |publisher=Chemistry.unina.it |access-date=October 17, 2016 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120810085857/http://home.surewest.net/kheider/astro/Hale-Bopp4385.txt |archive-date=August 10, 2012 }}</ref><ref name = space.com>{{cite web|last1=Howell|first1=Elizabeth|title=Hale–Bopp Comet Facts|url=http://www.space.com/19931-hale-bopp.html|website=Space.com|access-date=September 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829020600/https://www.space.com/19931-hale-bopp.html|archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref>

[[Comet Hale–Bopp]], originally labeled C/1995 O1, and sometimes called "the Great Comet of 1997", became one of the most-viewed comets in human history, and the brightest comet seen since [[Comet West]] in 1976, appearing "1000 times brighter than [[Halley's Comet|Comet Halley]] did at the same distance."<ref>{{cite web|title=Comet Hale–Bopp, The Great Comet of 1997| first = Ron | last = Baalke | work = [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] | location = [[California Institute of Technology]] |url=http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/index.html|access-date=September 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829020410/https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/|
archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="ESky">{{cite web|last1=Breitman|first1=Daniela|title=This date in science: Comet Hale–Bopp|url=http://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-comet-hale-bopp|website=Earthsky.org|access-date=September 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829014626/http://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-comet-hale-bopp|archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref>

When the comet was at the peak of its brightness, Hale says he was giving talks about the comet in big cities with [[Light pollution|light-polluted]] night skies, so he did not get a chance "to see it all that much when it was really bright."<ref name = FEP/>

Regarding the [[News conference|press conference]] of the comet’s discovery, Hale praised the reporting done by “the very first reporter that broke the story of the comet’s discovery,” the ''[[Albuquerque Journal]]'' science reporter John Fleck:{{quote|text=John spoiled me. The rest of the media{{nbsp}}... were mostly not like him. I would go round and round the same things over and over and over again and they would still get it wrong.<ref name = Knoxville/>}}

As an example of the media getting it wrong, Hale told this story:
{{quote|text=Due to frustration with the reporter interviewing him for [[USA Today]] when they asked him about a supposed [[Unidentified flying object|UFO]] following the comet, Hale made a joke that he would meet the aliens when they land at [[Roswell, New Mexico|Roswell]] and confront them for following “his” comet. Hale stated that the resulting article reported in seriousness that “Hale said he will go to Roswell to meet the spacecraft when it lands." And that line was the only thing they reported of what he said in the entire 45-minute interview.<ref name = Knoxville/>}}

==Heaven's Gate reaction==
{{main|Heaven's Gate (religious group)}}
[[File:Halebopp031197.jpg|thumbnail|right|Comet Hale–Bopp taken from [[Davis, West Virginia]], US on March 11, 1997]]
Historically linked to the discovery and first recorded appearance of Hale–Bopp is [[Heaven's Gate (religious group)|Heaven's Gate]], a [[cult|religious cult]] in [[San Diego]] led by [[Marshall Applewhite]] who preached that an alien spacecraft was following Comet Hale–Bopp. The cult members believed that transporting their [[souls]] to the spacecraft and evacuating the Earth – which was soon to be "recycled" – would permit them to achieve salvation. Applewhite and 38 followers poisoned themselves over three days in March 1997 in the belief this would allow them to pass through "Heaven's Gate" and achieve "the Evolutionary Level Above Human."<ref name = space.com/><ref name = HG>{{cite web|title=Hale–Bopp Brings Closure to Heaven's Gate| url=http://www.heavensgate.com/|website=Heavensgate.com|access-date=September 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829020201/http://www.heavensgate.com/|archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> The rationale for taking their lives was (and is, as of this writing) clearly detailed on the group's website which is maintained by surviving cult members.

When news broke of the Heaven's Gate mass suicides and their relation to Comet Hale–Bopp, Hale's phone "never stopped ringing the entire day." Hale did not respond until the next day, when he spoke at a press conference on the subject, only after he had researched details of the incident.<ref name = Knoxville/>

At the 20th annual convention of the [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]] (FFRF) in [[Tampa, Florida]], in 1997 Hale was a featured speaker and discussed the suicides, calling their death pact and other religion-fostered violence "another victory for ignorance and superstition."<ref name = FFRF/>

Speaking at the Second World Skeptics Congress in [[Heidelberg]], Germany, on July 24, 1998:<ref>{{cite web|title=Second World Skeptics Congress (Schedule)|url=http://amber.zine.cz/AZOld/occam/congress.htm|website=amber.zine.cz|access-date=September 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829015927/http://amber.zine.cz/AZOld/occam/congress.htm|archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref>
{{quote|text=Dr. Hale discussed the scientific significance and popular lore of comets and gave a personal account of his discovery. He then lambasted the combination of scientific illiteracy, willful delusions, a radio talk-show's deception about an imaginary spacecraft following the comet, and a cult's bizarre yearnings for ascending to another level of existence that led to the Heaven's Gate mass suicides.<ref name = SI>{{cite journal|last1=Frazier|first1=Kendrick|author-link=Kendrick Frazier|title=Science and Reason, Foibles and Fallacies, and Doomsdays|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|date=1998|volume=22|issue=6|page=6|url=http://www.csicop.org/si/show/science_and_reason_foibles_and_fallacies_and_doomsdays|access-date=18 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829015629/http://www.csicop.org/si/show/science_and_reason_foibles_and_fallacies_and_doomsdays|archive-date = 29 August 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref>}}

Hale said that, well before Heaven's Gate, he had told a colleague:
{{quote|text='We are probably going to have some suicides as a result of this comet.' The sad part is that I was really not surprised. Comets are lovely objects, but they don't have apocalyptic significance. We must use our minds, our reason.<ref name = SI/>}}

==Media appearances==
Following his discovery of Comet Hale–Bopp, Hale was in demand to speak about the comet bearing his name,<ref name = FEP/> and this gave him a platform to discuss Hale-Bopp as well as general astronomy and science. Hale was a guest speaker at the February 16, 1996, meeting of [[New Mexicans for Science and Reason]] (NMSR) which according to member and ''[[New Mexicans for Science and Reason#Science Watch podcast|Science Watch]]'' host [[Dave Thomas (skeptic)|Dave Thomas]] "was one of our most memorable and well-attended ever." Hale spoke on "Comet Hale–Bopp: Potentials and Opportunities" and cautioned against complacency about asteroid and comet impacts on the Earth, saying that:
{{quote|text=Although Hale–Bopp will miss Earth by more than 1 [[Astronomical unit|AU]], the newly-discovered [[Comet Hyakutake]] will come within 0.102 AU of our planet. Hyakutake's near-miss of Earth will occur in late March of this year; it was discovered in late January. That's not very much advance warning.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Thomas|first1=Dave|author-link = Dave Thomas (skeptic)| title=Feb. '96 Meeting – Dr. Alan Hale|url=http://www.nmsr.org/MAR96.pdf|website=NMSR.org|access-date=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807005306/http://www.nmsr.org/MAR96.pdf|archive-date = 7 August 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref>}}

On February 26, 1997, Hale was the guest speaker for two public lectures sponsored by the Center for Particle Astrophysics at [[University of California, Berkeley|UC Berkeley]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Free Public Lecture on "Comet Hale–Bopp, the Public and the Future"|url=http://cfpa.berkeley.edu/news_items/alan_hale.html|website=cfpa.berkeley.edu|access-date=September 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807005136/http://cfpa.berkeley.edu/news_items/alan_hale.html|archive-date=August 7, 2017|url-status = dead}}</ref> Hale has been a periodic guest on ''[[The Space Show]]'', an Internet radio talk show centering on space commerce and exploration, which is also available as a [[podcast]].<ref name="SpaceShow">{{cite web|url=http://thespaceshow.com/search-page?keys=alan+hale|title= Alan Hale's appearances|website=The Space Show|access-date=September 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807004916/http://thespaceshow.com/search-page?keys=alan+hale|archive-date = August 7, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> On the March 19, 2002, broadcast, Hale spoke of the importance of the search for [[Near-Earth object#Near-Earth asteroids|Near-Earth Asteroids]] (NEAs) and their danger to civilization:
{{quote|text=Even though a major catastrophic event would be very unlikely to occur during our lifetime, if it were to occur it would wipe out a significant fraction of the [[World population|Earth's population]]{{nbsp}}... The chances that there will actually be a major catastrophic world-wide event during our lifetime are actually very slim, but they are NOT zero. If we know where (the NEAs) are we can project their motions out decades into the future. At least then if there is something heading our way we'll have enough lead time – decades perhaps – in order to figure out what we might want to do about it. For objects a hundred meters in diameter we are talking (just) centuries. One such small object exploded over the [[Siberia]] wilderness in 1908 (the [[Tunguska event]]) and created blast effects similar to a [[nuclear explosion]]{{nbsp}}... If that happened 4 hours later it would have been over Moscow and would have changed world history.<ref name = B37>{{cite web|title=Dr. Alan Hale (Broadcast 37, 19 Mar 2002)|url=http://thespaceshow.com/show/19-mar-2002/broadcast-37|website=TheSpaceShow.com|access-date=September 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829023447/http://thespaceshow.com/show/19-mar-2002/broadcast-37|archive-date = August 29, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref>}}

From 2004 to 2006 Hale was host of a weekly radio program, ''The Other Side of the Sky'' (the precursor to ''Earthrise Radio'').<ref>{{cite web|title=The Other Side of the Sky|url=http://www.swisr.org/otherside.html|website=swisr.org|access-date=September 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807004539/http://www.swisr.org/otherside.html|archive-date = August 7, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> On March 11, 2006, Hale was interviewed on the [[New Mexicans for Science and Reason|NMSR's]] ''[[New Mexicans for Science and Reason#Science Watch podcast|Science Watch]]'' radio show in an episode called "An Hour-long visit with Dr. Alan Hale, co-discoverer of the Hale–Bopp Comet!"<ref>{{cite web|title=Past Shows|url=http://www.nmsr.org/goradio.htm#pastshows|website=NMSR.org|access-date=September 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807004359/http://www.nmsr.org/goradio.htm|archive-date = August 7, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref>

==Scientific skepticism advocacy==
As a [[Scientific skepticism|scientific skeptic]], Hale is a periodic contributor to ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' magazine. One such article, titled "An Astronomer’s Personal Statement on UFOs", appeared in the March/April 1997 edition. In the article Hale stated:
{{quote|text=When I am confronted with beliefs about [[Unidentified flying object|UFOs]] or other [[paranormal|paranormal phenomena]] — or, for that matter, just about anything — I am guided by three basic principles, to wit:
:'''1.''' [[Marcello Truzzi#"Extraordinary claims"|Extraordinary claims]] require extraordinary [[evidence]]. 
:'''2.''' The [[Philosophic burden of proof|burden of proof]] is on the positive. (If you are making an extraordinary claim, the burden is on you to produce the extraordinary evidence to prove that you are correct; the burden is not on me to prove that you are wrong.)
:'''3.''' [[Occam’s Razor]]: If one is confronted with a series of [[Phenomenon|phenomena]] for which there exists more than one viable explanation, one should choose the simplest explanation which fits all the observed facts.}}

After an analysis of the claims of [[Ufology|extraterrestrial visitation]] with regards to these three principles, Hale concluded: 
{{blockquote|In summary, I consider it likely that there are [[Extraterrestrial life|advanced alien races]] somewhere "out there," and I remain open to the possibility that, unlikely as it may seem, one or more such races could be visiting Earth. But if so, where are they? If they possess the technology capable of [[Interstellar travel|traveling interstellar distances]], then they are so far ahead of us that there can be no reason for them to be afraid of us. If they wish to hide from us, they could do so easily; if they don't wish to, then they have no need to play games with us and only show themselves to a few unwitting individuals. Let them reveal themselves to humanity at large, to our scientists, and to me.<ref>{{cite web|title=An Astronomer's Personal Statement on UFOs (Skeptical Inquirer Volume 21.2, March / April 1997)|url=http://www.csicop.org/si/show/astronomerrsquos_personal_statement_on_ufos|website=csicop.org|access-date=19 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807004116/http://www.csicop.org/si/show/astronomerrsquos_personal_statement_on_ufos|archive-date = 7 August 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref>}}

==Atheist activism==
Hale is an [[atheist]] and member of the honorary board of the online group [[Internet Infidels]] which has the mission of using the Internet to promote a view that [[supernatural]] forces or entities do not exist.<ref>{{cite web|title=Internet Infidels Honorary Board|url=http://www.infidels.org/infidels/honorary.html|access-date=September 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807003919/https://infidels.org/infidels/honorary.html|archive-date = August 7, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> Hale has made his position on religion clear:
{{quote|text=I'm quite biased against invoking mysterious [[Mythology|mythical]] beings that other people want to claim exist but which they can offer no evidence for. By telling students that the beliefs of a [[superstition|superstitious]] tribe thousands of years ago should be treated on an equal basis with the evidence collected with our most advanced equipment today is to completely undermine the entire process of [[Models of scientific inquiry|scientific inquiry]].<ref name = FFRF/>}}

==Awards and honors==
In 1980 Alan Hale was awarded the [[Navy League of the United States]] prize in [[Applied Physics]].<ref name = Dissertation/>

In 1991, years prior to his discovery of Hale–Bopp,<ref name = Dissertation/> the IAU named an asteroid, [[4151 Alanhale]], in Hale's honor in recognition of his numerous comet observations, stating that:
{{quote|text=In the past several years he has published careful visual observations of more than 130 comets, several at more than one apparition. His observations include both magnitude estimates and confirmations of discoveries. He has also applied his magnitude estimating skill to asteroids, particularly the fast-moving objects 1989 AC and 1989 VA, and has participated in [[Occultation#Occultations by asteroids|asteroid occultation]] teams. He has done much to promote asteroid-comet education through articles on comets and emphasis on asteroids in his introductory astronomy classes.<ref>{{cite web|title=(4151) Alanhale|url=http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=4151|website=IAU Minor Planet Center|access-date=16 September 2016}}</ref>}}

==Select bibliography==

===Books===
*''Everybody's Comet: A Layman's Guide to Hale–Bopp''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hale|first1=Alan|date=1996|publisher=High-Lonesome Books|title = Everybody's Comet: A Layman's Guide to Hale–Bopp|isbn=9780944383384|oclc=36009068}}</ref>
*''Great Balls of Ice: A Century of Comets''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hale|first1=Alan|title=Great Balls of Ice: A Century of Comets|publisher=W H Freeman & Co|date = June 2002| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sv_pkQEACAAJ|access-date=September 17, 2016|isbn=9780716737643}}</ref>
*''the comet man (a memoir)'' e-book<!-- Please leave this title in lower case - that is how the actual book is styled --><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hale|first1=Alan|title=the comet man|url=http://www.earthriseinstitute.org/thecometman.html|publisher=Earthrise Institute|access-date=October 18, 2016|date=July 23, 2015
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807002715/http://www.earthriseinstitute.org/thecometman.html|archive-date = August 7, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref>

===Scientific journals===
*''[[The Astronomical Journal]]'': Dissertation published in January 1994<ref name=AJ/>
*''The International Comet Quarterly'':<ref name=B37/><ref name=ERI/>

===Popular publications===
From August 2002 to January 2003, Hale wrote a weekly newspaper column for the [[Space Frontier Foundation]] entitled "In Our Skies," which has been archived online.<ref name="SF">{{cite web|last1=Hale|first1=Alan|title=TeamTelescope: Alan Hale's Weekly Column|url=http://archive.spacefrontier.org/Projects/permission/TeamTelescope/AlanHaleColumn.htm|website=Spacefrontier.org|access-date=September 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807002137/http://archive.spacefrontier.org/Projects/permission/TeamTelescope/AlanHaleColumn.htm|archive-date = August 7, 2017 |url-status = dead}}</ref> He also wrote a monthly column entitled "Hale to the Stars."<ref name=ERI>{{cite web|title=Biography of Alan Hale|url= http://www.earthriseinstitute.org/ahbio.html|website=earthriseinstitute.org|access-date=September 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807010132/http://www.earthriseinstitute.org/ahbio.html|archive-date = August 7, 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> Hale currently contributes to the ''[[Alamogordo Daily News]]'' with his "In Our Skies" column, covering a variety of astronomical and spaceflight topics.<ref name = 2016Ups/><ref name = Cygnus/>

Other publications Hale has contributed to include ''[[Astronomy (magazine)|Astronomy]]'', ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'', ''[[Free Inquiry]]'' and the ''[[McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology]]''.<ref name = FFRF/><ref name = B37/>

==Professional societies==
*[[American Astronomical Society]]<ref name = Dissertation/>
*[[Sigma Pi Sigma]]<ref name = Dissertation/>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Astronomy|Biography}}
* [http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/index.html Comet Hale–Bopp Home Page at JPL]
* [http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/timeline.html Comet Hale–Bopp Timeline – 1997]
* [http://www.earthriseinstitute.org Alan Hale's Earthrise Institute]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hale, Alan}}
[[Category:Date of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Scientists from New Mexico]]
[[Category:People from Otero County, New Mexico]]
[[Category:New Mexico State University alumni]]
[[Category:United States Naval Academy alumni]]
[[Category:People from Alamogordo, New Mexico]]
[[Category:People from Tachikawa]]
[[Category:Critics of creationism]]
[[Category:Critics of religions]]
[[Category:Space advocates]]
[[Category:20th-century atheists]]
[[Category:21st-century atheists]]
[[Category:Bendix Corporation people]]
[[Category:Discoverers of comets]]
[[Category:American atheism activists]]
[[Category:American astronomers]]
[[Category:American skeptics]]