Patrick Moore

1. Early Life

Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore was born in Pinner, Middlesex, England, on 4 March 1923. His father was Captain Charles Trachsel Caldwell-Moore, who died in 1947, and his mother was Gertrude (née White), who died in 1981. The family later moved to Bognor Regis and then to East Grinstead, where Moore spent his childhood. His youth was marked by heart problems, which resulted in poor health, leading him to be educated at home by private tutors.

Moore developed an interest in astronomy at the age of six. By age 11, he had joined the British Astronomical Association. At 14, he was invited to manage a small observatory in East Grinstead after his mentor, William Sadler Franks, who ran the observatory, died in a road accident. At 16, he began wearing a monocle after an oculist informed him that his right eye was weaker than his left.

2. World War II Service

During World War II, Moore initially joined the Home Guard in East Grinstead, where his father served as a platoon commander. In December 1941, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He was called up for service in July 1942 as an Aircraftman, 2nd Class. After completing basic training at various RAF bases in England, he was sent to Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. He completed his training at RAF Moncton in New Brunswick, qualifying as both a navigator and a pilot.

Upon returning to England in June 1944, Moore was commissioned as a pilot officer. He was then posted to RAF Millom in Cumberland, where he continued his training. He was posted to RAF Bomber Command only five days before the end of the war in Europe. After the cessation of hostilities, Moore served as an adjutant and subsequently as an Area Meteorological Officer. He was demobilized in October 1945, holding the rank of flying officer.

3. Career in Astronomy

Sir Patrick Moore's post-war career was almost entirely dedicated to astronomy, encompassing extensive writing, research, and public engagement through broadcasting and affiliations with various astronomical organizations.

3.4. Astronomical Affiliations and Outreach

In 1965, Moore was appointed director of the newly constructed Armagh Planetarium in Northern Ireland, a position he held until 1968. His tenure outside England was brief, partly due to the onset of The Troubles, a conflict he wished to avoid. He resigned as Armagh County secretary of the Scout movement after being informed that Catholics could not be admitted. During his time at the planetarium, Moore traveled to Japan to acquire a Goto Mars projector. He also contributed to the redevelopment of the Birr Telescope in the Republic of Ireland and was a key figure in the establishment of the Herschel Museum of Astronomy in Bath.

Moore was elected a member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1966 and twice edited the Union's General Assembly newsletters. He attempted to establish an International Union of Amateur Astronomers, but the initiative failed due to a lack of interest. He was a long-time Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society and a member of its Council, also serving as the founding editor of its monthly magazine Spaceflight, first published in 1956. He established the Sir Patrick Moore Medal to acknowledge outstanding contributions to the Society. In 1999, he became the Honorary President of the East Sussex Astronomical Society, a position he held until his death.

Moore was the patron of the South Downs Planetarium and Science Centre and attended its official opening in 2001. In June 2002, he was appointed as the Honorary Vice-president of the Society for the History of Astronomy. He also had a long association with the University of Leicester's Department of Physics and Astronomy, which awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Science (HonDSc) degree in 1996 and a Distinguished Honorary Fellowship in 2008, the highest honor the university can bestow. In 2009, after helping save the Airdrie Community Observatory from closure, Moore became the Honorary President of the Airdrie Astronomical Association, a position he held until his death.

3.5. Space Program Coverage

Moore played a significant role in reporting on major space missions. In 1959, the Russians granted him the unique opportunity to be the first Westerner to view the photographic results from the Luna 3 probe, which he then presented live on air. A less successful live broadcast involved the Luna 4 probe, which encountered technical difficulties, and during this episode, Moore famously swallowed a large fly, continuing the broadcast undeterred. He was later invited to visit the Soviet Union, where he met Yuri Gagarin, the first human 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 was thwarted by cloud cover, leading to another unexpected "comedy episode."

During the NASA Apollo programme, Moore was a key presenter. While covering the Apollo 8 mission, he declared it "one of the great moments of human history," though his broadcast was notably interrupted by the children's program Jackanory. He also presented for the Apollo 9 and Apollo 10 missions and served as a commentator, alongside Cliff Michelmore and James Burke, for BBC television's coverage of the Moon landing missions. Although Moore could not recall his exact words at the "Eagle has landed" moment, a homemade recording of the broadcast shows the studio team remained quiet, allowing NASA's commentary to be heard clearly. Moore continued to participate in TV coverage for Apollo missions 12 through 17.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Moore reported on the Voyager and Pioneer programs, often broadcasting from NASA headquarters. He frequently expressed annoyance with conspiracy theorists and reporters who questioned the value of space research, stating that such questions indicated he was "dealing with an idiot." Another question that irritated him was the distinction between astronomy and astrology. Despite his fame, his telephone number remained listed in the directory, and he was known to welcome members of the public to his observatory. He made a point of responding to all letters, sending standard replies to common inquiries, conspiracy theorists, proponents of hunting, and "cranks."

In February 1986, he presented a special episode of The Sky at Night on the approach of Halley's Comet, though he later criticized the BBC's better-funded Horizon team for making "a complete hash of the programme." In January 1998, a tornado damaged part of Moore's garden observatory, which was subsequently rebuilt. Moore also campaigned unsuccessfully against the closure of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in 1998. Among his favorite episodes of The Sky at Night were those dealing with eclipses, as he believed "there is nothing in nature to match the glory of a total eclipse of the Sun." He was a BBC presenter for the total eclipse in England in 1999, though the view from his team's location in Cornwall was obscured by clouds.

4. Broadcasting and Media Appearances

Due to his extensive television career and distinctive demeanor, Sir Patrick Moore became a widely recognized and popular public figure in Britain. In 1976, he participated in a successful April Fools' Day hoax on BBC Radio 2, announcing a unique astronomical event that would cause temporary weightlessness if listeners jumped at precisely 9:47 a.m. The BBC subsequently received numerous calls from listeners claiming to have experienced the sensation. Moore was also a key figure in establishing the International Birdman event in Bognor Regis, which was initially held in Selsey.

Beyond The Sky at Night, Moore appeared in various other television and radio programs. He was a regular on the BBC Radio 4 panel show Just a Minute. From 1992 to 1998, he played the character of GamesMaster, a knowledgeable expert on video games, in the Channel 4 television series GamesMaster. In this role, GamesMaster would issue video game challenges and provide answers to questions about cheats and tips. The show's host, Dominik Diamond, noted that Moore did not understand the content he was delivering but recorded his contributions in single takes.

Moore was a keen amateur actor, participating in local plays. He also appeared in self-parodying roles on several episodes of The Goodies and the Morecambe and Wise show. He broadcast with Kenneth Horne just days before Horne's death. Moore had a minor role in the fourth radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and a lead role in the BBC Radio 1 sci-fi play Independence Day UK, where he notably served as a navigator. His other television appearances included It's a Celebrity Knockout, Blankety Blank, Face the Music, and the Q.E.D. episode "Round Britain Whizz".

Moore expressed appreciation for science fiction television series such as Doctor Who and Star Trek, but stated he stopped watching when they became "PC - making women commanders, that kind of thing." Despite this sentiment, he made a cameo appearance in the Doctor Who episode "The Eleventh Hour" in 2010, which marked Matt Smith's debut as the Eleventh Doctor. In the 1960s, Doctor Who story editor Gerry Davis had approached Moore to be a scientific advisor for the series, a position ultimately filled by Kit Pedler.

5. Other Interests and Talents

Sir Patrick Moore possessed a wide array of interests and talents beyond his astronomical pursuits. He was a keen amateur chess player, carrying a pocket set and serving as vice president of the Sussex Junior Chess Association. He had represented Sussex in his youth. In 2003, he presented the best young chess player award to Sussex junior David Howell on Carlton Television's Britain's Brilliant Prodigies show.

Moore was an enthusiastic amateur cricketer, playing for the Selsey Cricket Club well into his seventies. He also played for the Lord's Taverners, a cricketing charity team, as a bowler with an unorthodox action. While an accomplished leg spin bowler, he was a number 11 batsman and a poor fielder. His book "Suns, Myths and Men" (1968) noted his hobbies included "chess, which he plays with a peculiar leg-spin, and cricket." He also played golf and won a Pro-Am competition in Southampton in 1975.

Until forced to stop due to arthritis, Moore was an accomplished pianist and xylophone player, having first played the instrument at the age of 13. He composed a substantial body of work, including two operettas. A ballet, Lyra's Dream, was written to his music. He performed at a Royal Command Performance and also performed a duet with Evelyn Glennie. In 1998, as a guest on Have I Got News for You, he accompanied the show's closing theme tune on the xylophone. As a pianist, he once accompanied Albert Einstein playing The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns on the violin, though no recording was made. In 1981, he performed a solo xylophone rendition of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K." at a Royal Variety Performance. He generally disliked most popular music, stating in a 2009 interview that ten modern rock songs by artists like Hawkwind, Muse, and Pink Floyd were "universally awful" to his ear.

Before encountering health problems, Moore was an extensive traveler, having visited all seven continents, including Antarctica. He stated that his two favorite countries were Iceland and Norway. On 7 March 2006, he was hospitalized and fitted with a pacemaker due to cardiac dysrhythmia.

Moore was a close friend of Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May, who was an occasional guest on The Sky at Night. In 2008, May purchased Moore's Selsey home and leased it back to him for a peppercorn rent to provide him with financial security. May, Moore, and Chris Lintott co-wrote the book Bang! The Complete History of the Universe. In February 2011, Moore completed his comprehensive Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy with Robin Rees and Iain Nicolson for Cambridge University Press. In 1986, he was identified as the co-author of a book published in 1954 titled Flying Saucer from Mars, attributed to Cedric Allingham, which was intended as a money-making venture and practical joke on UFO believers; Moore never publicly admitted his involvement. Moore believed himself to be the only person to have met the first aviator, Orville Wright, the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, and the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong.

6. Political and Social Views

Sir Patrick Moore was known for his staunchly conservative political views and was often outspoken on various social and political issues. He briefly supported the Liberal Party in the 1950s but later condemned the Liberal Democrats, asserting that they would readily align with groups like the British National Party or the Socialist Workers Party if it meant gaining votes. In the 1970s, he served as chairman of the anti-immigration United Country Party until it merged with the New Britain Party in 1980. He campaigned for politician Edmund Iremonger in the 1979 United Kingdom general election due to their shared distrust of the French and Germans. Both Iremonger and Moore ceased political campaigning after becoming Thatcherites. He also expressed admiration for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and briefly served as their financial adviser.

As a prominent Eurosceptic, Moore was a supporter and patron of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and campaigned for Douglas Denny, the UKIP candidate for the Chichester constituency in 2001. He proudly declared himself to be English rather than British, stating he had "not the slightest wish to integrate with anybody," and expressed admiration for British politician Enoch Powell.

In his autobiography, Moore dedicated a chapter titled "The Weak Arm of the Law" to criticizing modern British society. He specifically denounced "motorist-hunting" policemen, sentencing policies, the Race Relations Act, the Sex Discrimination Act, and what he termed the "Thought Police/Politically Correct Brigade." He controversially wrote that "homosexuals are mainly responsible for the spreading of AIDS (the Garden of Eden is home of Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve)." In a May 2007 interview with Radio Times, he stated that the BBC was being "ruined by women," commenting: "The trouble is that the BBC now is run by women and it shows: soap operas, cooking, quizzes, kitchen-sink plays. You wouldn't have had that in the golden days." A BBC spokeswoman responded by describing Moore as one of TV's best-loved figures, noting that his "forthright" views were "what we all love about him." During his June 2002 appearance on Room 101, he symbolically banished female newsreaders into the titular room.

Moore responded to criticisms of his right-wing beliefs by stating, "I may be accused of being a dinosaur, but I would remind you that dinosaurs ruled the Earth for a very long time." He also wrote in his autobiography that Liechtenstein, a constitutional monarchy headed by a prince, had the best political system in the world. Moore was a critic of the Iraq War and believed that "the world was a safer place when Ronald Reagan was in the White House."

To counter claims of holding ultra-right-wing views, Moore cited his opposition to fox hunting, blood sport, and capital punishment. Although not a vegetarian, he expressed "a deep contempt for people who go out to kill merely to amuse themselves." He was an ardent animal lover, supporting many animal welfare charities, particularly Cats Protection, and famously stated that "a catless house is a soulless house." Moore was also notably opposed to astronomy being taught in schools, believing that enthusiasm for the subject would be stifled if it were taught poorly.

7. Honours and Appointments

Sir Patrick Moore received numerous significant honors, awards, and appointments throughout his life in recognition of his contributions to astronomy and public communication. In 1945, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS), and in 1977, he was awarded the society's prestigious Jackson-Gwilt Medal. He was also a long-standing Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society and a member of its Council, serving as the founding editor of its monthly magazine Spaceflight, which first appeared in 1956. The Society later established the Sir Patrick Moore Medal to acknowledge outstanding contributions.

Moore was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1968 and was promoted to a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1988. In 1999, he became the Honorary President of the East Sussex Astronomical Society, a position he held until his death. His significant efforts in popularizing science and broadcasting were recognized when he was knighted in the 2001 New Year Honours.

In 2001, he was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society (HonFRS), a rare distinction for an amateur astronomer, in recognition of his effectiveness and influence in communicating astronomy in the UK and his overall contribution to science. In June 2002, he was appointed as the Honorary Vice-president of the Society for the History of Astronomy. Also in 2002, Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, presented Moore with a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for his services to television. Moore was also a patron of Torquay Boys' Grammar School in south Devon. He maintained a long association with the University of Leicester and its Department of Physics and Astronomy, receiving an Honorary Doctor of Science (HonDSc) degree in 1996 and a Distinguished Honorary Fellowship in 2008, the highest award the university can bestow.

8. Personal Life and Death

World War II profoundly impacted Sir Patrick Moore's personal life. He stated that his only romance ended tragically in 1943 when his fiancée, Lorna, a nurse, was killed in London by a bomb that struck her ambulance. Moore subsequently remarked that he never married because "there was no one else for me... second best is no good for me... I would have liked a wife and family, but it was not to be." However, his biographer, Martin Mobberley, expressed doubts about this account, noting that Lorna could not be identified and that Moore told varying stories about her. Despite these doubts, Moore claimed that even after sixty years, he still thought about her, and her death fueled an intense anti-German sentiment, leading him to state that if he "saw the entire German nation sinking into the sea, I could be relied upon to help push it down." In May 2012, he reiterated this view in an interview, saying, "The only good Kraut is a dead Kraut."

Moore was "exceptionally close" to his mother, Gertrude, a talented artist who shared his home in Selsey, West Sussex. Their home was adorned with her paintings of "bogeys"-little friendly aliens-which she also produced and sent out annually as the Moores' Christmas cards. Moore wrote the foreword for his mother's 1974 book, Mrs Moore in Space.

On 9 December 2012, Sir Patrick Moore died at his home in Selsey at the age of 89. The cause of death was sepsis and heart failure. Friends and staff members released a statement announcing his passing. On 9 December 2014, the Science Museum in London announced it had acquired a large collection of his objects and manuscripts. This extensive archive includes The Sky at Night scripts, approximately 70 of his observation books spanning over 60 years, and manuscripts for both his astronomy and fiction books, along with his 12.5 in reflecting telescope.

9. Legacy and Impact

Sir Patrick Moore's legacy is defined by his profound influence on astronomy and popular culture, marked by both widespread admiration and some notable controversies.

10. Bibliography

Sir Patrick Moore was a prolific writer, authoring many popular science books, particularly on astronomy, as well as fiction. From 1962 to 2011, he also served as the editor for the long-running annual Yearbook of Astronomy and edited numerous other science books during that period. He wrote science fiction novels for children and published humorous works under the pen name R. T. Fishall.

• A Guide to the Moon, 1953
• Mission to Mars, 1955
• The Planet Venus, 1956
• The Domes of Mars, 1956
• The Voices of Mars, 1957
• Peril on Mars, 1958
• Raiders of Mars, 1959
• A Guide to the Planets, 1960
• Stars and Space, 1960
• A Guide to the Stars, 1960, Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 60-7584
• Oxford Children's Reference Library Book 2: Exploring the World, 1966
• The Amateur Astronomer's Glossary, 1966 (reprinted as The A-Z of Astronomy)
• Moon Flight Atlas, 1969
• Observer's Book of Astronomy, 1971
• Challenge of the Stars, 1972
• Can You Speak Venusian?, 1972
• How Britain Won the Space Race, 1972 (with Desmond Leslie)
• The Southern Stars, 1972
• Mastermind (Book 1), (edited by Boswell Taylor), the sections on Astronomy, 1973, republished 1984
• Watchers of the Stars:The Scientific Revolution, 1974
• Next Fifty Years in Space, 1976
• Astronomy Quiz Book, 1978
• The Scott Saunders series (six juvenile science fiction novels), late 1970s
• Bureaucrats: How to Annoy Them (humour) (writing as R.T.Fishall), 1982
• New Observer's Book of Astronomy, 1983
• Armchair Astronomy, 1984
• Travellers in Space and Time, 1984
• Stargazing: Astronomy Without A Telescope, 1985
• Explorers of Space, 1986
• Astronomy for the Under Tens, 1986
• The Astronomy Encyclopaedia, 1987
• Astronomers' Stars, 1987
• Television Astronomer: Thirty Years of the "Sky at Night", 1987
• Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars, 1988
• Space Travel for the Under Tens, 1988
• The Universe for the Under Tens, 1990
• Mission to the Planets, 1991
• New Guide to the Planets, 1993
• The Sun and the Moon (Starry Sky), 1996
• The Guinness Book of Astronomy, 1995
• The Stars (Starry Sky), 1996
• The Sun and the Moon (Starry Sky), 1996
• The Planets (Starry Sky), 1996
• Eyes on the Universe: Story of the Telescope, 1997
• Exploring the Earth and Moon, 1997
• Philip's Guide to Stars and Planets, 1997
• Brilliant Stars, 1997
• Patrick Moore on Mars, 1998
• Patrick Moore's Guide to the 1999 Total Eclipse , 1999
• Countdown!, or, How nigh is the end?, 1999
• Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars, 2000
• The Star of Bethlehem, 2001
• 80 Not Out: The Autobiography, 2003
• 2004 The Yearbook of Astronomy, 2003 (editor)
• Voyage to Mars, 2003
• Our Universe: Facts, Figures and Fun, 2007
• Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy, 2011, Cambridge University Press

[http://banguniverse.com/ Bang! The Complete History of the Universe by Brian May, Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott]
[http://www.movingimageco.com/The%20Astronomical%20Patrick%20Moore.html DVD Autobiography of Sir Patrick Moore]
[http://www.banguniverse.com/sirpatrickmoore/ Patrick Moore Memorial Website]