Allan Sandage was Edwin Hubble's protege and successor, the world's leading astronomer in the mid-to-late 20th Century, and the prime force behind the development of the Palomar Telescope as the replacement of the LA's urban lighting-challenged Mt. Wilson observatory.
Allan was the central character in the bestselling Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos, the story of Palomar's discoveries. He was a lovely man and a personal friend.