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I miss him already

Oh, now this one I’ll miss. Patrick Moore died yesterday. We weren’t regular watchers of The Sky at Night. It was the sort of thing we’d hit by accident, channel flipping, and then have to watch to the end. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

He is believed to be the only man to have met Orville Wright (the first man to fly) and Yuri Gagarin (first man in space) and Neil Armstrong (first man on the moon).

Also, he loved cats, played the xylophone and always wore a monocle. What’s not to love?

Comments


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: December 10, 2012, 11:16 pm

I don’t know if the BBC player thingie will let you watch clips, but there are bound to be some on YouTube. He was rivetting to watch.

It always looked to me like he was being eaten by his suit.

He presented the program for over 50 years (making him the longest running TV host ever) and only missed once — 2004. Near fatal food poisoning incident.


Comment from orabidoo
Time: December 11, 2012, 12:58 am

Patrick
Alferd
Caldwell
Moore
Astronomist
Naturalist


Comment from Anonymous
Time: December 11, 2012, 2:27 am

was he basically the UK version of Jack Horkheimer?


Comment from Paula Douglas
Time: December 11, 2012, 3:08 am

Anybody who names his cat Ptolemy has an awesome streak. I’d never heard of him until he had a brief cameo in a 2010 episode of Doctor Who, and even then I kind of figured he was a fictional character, but no: just larger than life. “A catless house is a soulless house.” Amen to that, Mr. Moore.


Comment from bad cat robot
Time: December 11, 2012, 3:33 am

Respect the Monocle!


Comment from SCOTTtheBADGER
Time: December 11, 2012, 5:58 am

A person who likes cats can’t be all bad.


Comment from Oceania
Time: December 11, 2012, 7:49 am

Rather sad really.
I will miss him.
He had a great house where all the post grad-students could stay … and his interest in cats was fantastic. I was easy to pop in and say hello.
His old typewriters need to be preserved in a glass case and filled with Argon and preserved at Greenwich forever.


Comment from Gibby Haynes
Time: December 11, 2012, 9:06 am

What a great man, and what a wonderful show.


Comment from AliceH
Time: December 11, 2012, 3:28 pm

For those interested… Link to Ace post on him here.

It includes a couple Youtubes viewable by U.S.A.ers 1)interview by Carl Sagan, and 2) Sky at Night/w Dr Brian May (astrophysicist and Guitarist of Queen)


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: December 11, 2012, 5:21 pm

Today’s Zazzle promotion.


Comment from David Gillies
Time: December 12, 2012, 4:33 pm

Great theme music for The Sky at Night, too. It’s At the Castle Gate from Sibelius’s Pelléas et Mélisande. I wonder who will present it now.


Comment from Arnold
Time: December 29, 2012, 10:18 pm

Yep, I miss him too. A legendary personality who served in the Royal Air Force. Unfortunately, he never married due to the death of her fiancee in the World War II ;( I visited his place in 2005 with my family and he lived in the neighborhood of my relatives. Can’t believe he is not with us anymore. I talked about my Power Yoga Practices in the little conversation. Hell of a time 🙁

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