Patrick Moore
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter.
Moore's early interest in astronomy led him to join the British Astronomical Association at the age of 11. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II and briefly taught before publishing his first book on lunar observation in 1953. Renowned for his expertise in Moon observation and the creation of the Caldwell catalogue, Moore authored more than seventy astronomy books. He hosted the world's longest-running television series with the original presenter, BBC's The Sky at Night, from 1957 until his death in 2012. Idiosyncrasies such as his rapid diction and monocle made him a popular and instantly recognisable figure on British television. Moore was co-founder and president of the Society for Popular Astronomy.
Outside his field of astronomy, Moore appeared in the video game television show GamesMaster. Moore was also a self-taught xylophonist and pianist, as well as an accomplished composer. In addition to many popular science books, he wrote numerous works of fiction. He was an opponent of fox hunting, an outspoken critic of the European Union and a supporter of the UK Independence Party, and he served as chairman of the short-lived anti-immigration United Country Party. He was knighted in 2001.
Early life
Moore was born in Pinner, Middlesex, on 4 March 1923 to Captain Charles Trachsel Caldwell-Moore and Gertrude . His family moved to Bognor Regis, and subsequently to East Grinstead where he spent his childhood. His youth was marked by heart problems, which left him in poor health, and he was educated at home by private tutors. He developed an interest in astronomy at the age of six and joined the British Astronomical Association at the age of 11. He was invited to run a small observatory in East Grinstead at the age of 14, after his mentor, William Sadler Franks – who ran the observatory – was killed in a road accident. At the age of 16, he began wearing a monocle after an oculist told him his right eye was weaker than his left.During World War II, Moore joined the Home Guard in East Grinstead, where his father had been elected platoon commander. Records show that he enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in December 1941 at age 18 and was not called up for service until July 1942 as an aircraftman, 2nd class. After basic training at various RAF bases in England, he went to Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. He completed training at RAF Moncton in New Brunswick as a navigator and pilot. Returning to England in June 1944, he was commissioned as a pilot officer and was posted to RAF Millom in Cumberland, where he claimed to have been a navigator in the crew of a Vickers Wellington bomber engaged in maritime patrolling and bombing missions to mainland Europe, though in fact he was still in training at Millom. He was only posted to Bomber Command five days before the end of the war in Europe. After the end of hostilities, Moore became an adjutant and then an Area Meteorological Officer, demobilising in October 1945 with the rank of flying officer.
Career in astronomy
After the war, Moore rejected a grant to study at the University of Cambridge, citing a wish to "stand on my own two feet". He wrote his first book, Guide to the Moon in 1952, and it was published a year later. He was a teacher in Woking and at Holmewood House School in Langton Green in Kent from 1945 to 1953. His second book was a translation of a work of French astronomer Gérard de Vaucouleurs. After his second original science book, Guide to the Planets, he wrote his first work of fiction, The Master of the Moon, the first of numerous young adult fiction space adventure books ; he wrote a more adult novel and a farce titled Ancient Lights, though he did not wish either to be published. Moore also translated the book Quanta by J Lochak and Andrade E Silva, published in 1969, from the French.While teaching at Holmewood, he set up a 12½ inch reflector telescope at his home, which he kept into his old age. He developed a particular interest in the far side of the Moon, a small part of which is visible from Earth as a result of the Moon's libration; the Moon was his specialist subject throughout his life. Moore described the short-lived glowing areas on the lunar surface and gave them the name transient lunar phenomena in 1968.
His first television appearance was in a debate about the existence of flying saucers following a spate of reported sightings in the 1950s; Moore argued against Lord Dowding and other UFO proponents. He was invited to present a live astronomy programme and said the greatest difficulty was finding an appropriate theme tune; the opening of Jean Sibelius's Pelléas et Mélisande was chosen and used throughout the programme's existence. The programme was originally named Star Map before The Sky at Night was chosen in the Radio Times. On 24 April 1957, at 10:30 pm, Moore presented the first episode about the Comet Arend–Roland. The programme was pitched to casual viewers up to professional astronomers, in a format which remained consistent from its inception. Moore presented every monthly episode except for one in July 2004 when he suffered a near-fatal bout of food poisoning caused by eating a contaminated goose egg and was replaced for that episode by Chris Lintott. Moore appears in the Guinness World Records book as the world's longest-serving TV presenter having presented the programme since 1957. From 2004 to 2012, the programme was broadcast from Moore's home when arthritis prevented him from travelling to the studios. Over the years, he received many lucrative offers to take his programme onto other networks but rejected them because he held a 'gentlemen's agreement' with the BBC.
In 1959, the Russians allowed Moore to be the first Westerner to see the photographic results of the Luna 3 probe and to show them live on air. Less successful was the transmission of the Luna 4 probe, which ran into technical difficulties and around this time, Moore famously swallowed a large fly; both episodes were live, and Moore had to continue regardless. He was invited to visit the Soviet Union, where he met Yuri Gagarin, the first man to journey into outer space. For the fiftieth episode of The Sky at Night, in September 1961, Moore's attempt to be the first to broadcast a live direct telescopic view of a planet resulted in another unintended 'comedy episode', as cloud obscured the sky.
In 1965, he was appointed director of the newly constructed Armagh Planetarium in Northern Ireland, a post he held until 1968. His stay outside England was short partly because of the beginning of The Troubles, a dispute Moore wanted no involvement in. He was appointed Armagh County secretary of the Scout movement but resigned after being informed that Catholics could not be admitted. In developing the Planetarium, Moore travelled to Japan to secure a Goto Mars projector. He helped with the redevelopment of the Birr Telescope in the Republic of Ireland. He was a key figure in the development of the Herschel Museum of Astronomy in Bath.
In June 1968, he returned to England, settling in Selsey after resigning from his post in Armagh. During the NASA Apollo programme, presenting on the Apollo 8 mission, he declared that "this is one of the great moments of human history", only to have his broadcast interrupted by the children's programme Jackanory. He was a presenter for the Apollo 9 and Apollo 10 missions, and a commenter, with Cliff Michelmore and James Burke, for BBC television's coverage of the Moon landing missions. Moore could not remember his words at the "Eagle has landed" moment, and the BBC lost the tapes of the broadcast. A homemade recording reveals that the studio team was very quiet during the landing sequence, leaving the NASA commentary clear of interruptions. Some 14 seconds after "contact", Burke says "They've touched." At 36 seconds, he says, "Eagle has landed." Between 53 and 62 seconds, he explains the upcoming stay/no-stay decision, and NASA announces the T1 stay at 90 seconds after contact. At 100 seconds, the recorded sequence ends. Thus, any real-time comment Moore made was not broadcast live, and the recording ends before Burke polls the studio team for comment and reaction. Moore participated in TV coverage of Apollo missions 12 to 17.
He was elected a member of the International Astronomical Union in 1966; having twice edited the Union's General Assembly newsletters. He attempted to establish an International Union of Amateur Astronomers, which failed due to lack of interest. During the 1970s and 80s, he reported on the Voyager and Pioneer programs, often from NASA headquarters. At this time he became increasingly annoyed by conspiracy theorists and reporters who asked him questions such as "Why waste money on space research when there is so much to be done here?". He said that when asked these types of questions "I know that I'm dealing with an idiot." Another question that annoyed him was "what is the difference between astronomy and astrology?" Despite this he made a point of responding to all letters delivered to his house, and sent a variety of standard replies to letters asking basic questions, as well as those from conspiracy theorists, proponents of hunting and 'cranks'. Despite his fame, his telephone number was always listed in the telephone directory and he was happy to show members of the public his observatory.
He compiled the Caldwell catalogue, of 109 star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies for observation by amateur astronomers. In 1982, asteroid 2602 Moore was named in his honour. In February 1986, he presented a special episode of The Sky at Night on the approach of Halley's Comet. However, he later said the BBC's better-funded Horizon team "made a complete hash of the programme." In January 1998, a tornado destroyed part of Moore's garden observatory; it was subsequently rebuilt. Moore campaigned unsuccessfully against the closure of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in 1998. Among Moore's favourite episodes of The Sky at Night were those that dealt with eclipses, and he said, "there is nothing in nature to match the glory of a total eclipse of the Sun."
File:Lintott, Moore, May.jpg|thumb|Moore with his co-presenter Chris Lintott and Brian May, astrophysicist and Queen guitarist, at AstroFest in 2007
Moore was a BBC presenter for the total eclipse in England in 1999, though the view he and his team had from Cornwall was obscured by cloud. Moore was the patron of the South Downs Planetarium and Science Centre, and he attended its official opening in 2001.
On 1 April 2007, a 50th anniversary semi-spoof edition of the programme was broadcast on BBC One, with Moore depicted as a Time Lord. It featured special guests, amateur astronomers Jon Culshaw and Brian May. On 6 May 2007, a special edition of The Sky at Night was broadcast on BBC One to commemorate the programme's 50th anniversary, with a party in Moore's garden at Selsey, attended by amateur and professional astronomers. Moore celebrated the record-breaking 700th episode of The Sky at Night at his home in Sussex on 6 March 2011. He presented with the help of special guests Professor Brian Cox, Jon Culshaw and Lord Rees, the Astronomer Royal.
It was reported in January 2012 that because of arthritis and the effects of an old spinal injury, he was no longer able to operate a telescope. However, he was still able to present The Sky at Night from his home.