RIP Patrick

So Sir Patrick Moore has died – at the age of 89. I can’t say I’m surprised, he has not looked at all well in his recent Sky at Night programmes, but it is still sad news.

I grew up watching the Sky at Night – it introduced me to Astronomy – and I still have my dog-eared copy of The Observer’s Book of Astronomy, authored by Patrick Moore F.R.A.S., F. R. S. A. He inspired generations of children to look up, wonder at, and, above all, observe the heavens. He was an amateur in the true sense of the word, and one whose meticulous work advanced our understanding of the moon in particular.

The next time I look up and see the moon in a clear night sky I shall remember him with affection and respect.