Sir Patrick Moore My Tribute

Sir Patrick Moore England's well known and greatest Astronomer, has died at the grand old age of 89. He was most famous for his fascinating and easy to understand The Sky At Night Series, which he presented for over fifty years. He passed away peacefully at his home in Selsey, West Sussex, where he stated that it was his wish to be there with his family, and his most loved cat Ptolemy.

Patrick Moore was said to be the only man still alive to have met the first man to fly, Orville Wright. Along with the first Russian in Space Yuri Gagarin, and the first man on the moon Neil Armstrong. Also the famous physicist Albert Einstein.

Over the last few years his health has become worse, and he recorded most of his Sky At Night Series from his home. Along with help from Astronomers Chris Lintott, Brian Cox, and many others. He was a legend and will be surely missed.

I believe that people, objects and certain experiences are the backdrop to our lives. Like the first splash of paint on the canvas of our life, certain people become part of our existence. Patrick Moore was one of those people.

I grew up watching his series on TV, and at the age of 5 I remember sitting outside on a chrisp Winters night shivering in my huge oversized coat, and peering through my elder brothers telescope, seeing Venus for the first time. My brother was clutching his first Astronomers book endorsed by Patrick Moore. That is probably one of my first memories of our avid interest in Astronomy.

At the age of 14, my brother Andrew Turner, and friends Keith and Mark were published in the local newspaper because they had sighted one of the new satellites. With great excitement my brother came downstairs a few days later to be met with a letter from Patrick stating how excited he was for my brother, and would he and his little friends like to come down to Selsey and take tea with Patrick Moore?!

My brother was stunned and so delighted. He had received a letter from the great man himself. It couldn't get better than that. Sadly it wasn't to be as we didn't have much money back then to go and visit. But we wrote to say thank you to Patrick and he replied saying anytime you are down that way then just pop in!

Thanks to that letter my brother was taken to The Winkfield Tracking Station, the Satellite and Space Radio Research facility, in Berkshire, along with his friends, and a teacher who couldn't believe his luck!

Over the years since then my brother has gone on to be a keen Astronomer, buying the magazines, watching The Sky At Night and joining various groups to advance his knowledge. Sir Patrick Moore did that. He was the one who ignited the flame of my brothers interest in Astronomy. And mine too. I love Science, Astronomy and Quantum Physics. And down through the years Patrick has been the backbone of our interest. He has been on the canvas of my life.

So I would like to say thank you Sir Patrick Moore. You were the backdrop to my childhood and because of you my interests in the World and the Universe are what they are today.

I just hope the Astronomers who follow in your wake will still treat Astronomy with the same schoolboy fascination that has kept you and us spellbound over the years.

Sir Patrick Moore. (4th March 1923 - 9 December 2012)