LONDON: Astronomer Patrick Moore (pictured), renowned for his work mapping the Moon’s surface and for having popularised his subject with the British public, died yesterday at the age of 89, friends and colleagues announced.
Moore, whose lunar research was used by both the US and Soviets space programmes, died peacefully at 12:25pm (1225 GMT) at his home in Selsey on the southern English coast. He had succumbed to an infection, colleagues said in a statement.
“After a short spell in hospital last week, it was determined that no further treatment would benefit him, and it was his wish to spend his last days in his own home,” they said. Besides his skill at explaining the universe, his monocle, wit, raised eyebrow and idiosyncratic style of speech endeared him to an army of space fans. Moore fronted the monthly BBC programme “The Sky At Night” from its launch in 1957 and still running today, making him the world’s longest-running presenter of the same television show. His last programme was broadcast on Monday. Moore only ever missed one episode, in 2004, laid low by a contaminated egg. In 1959, the Soviets used his charts to correlate the first Lunik 3 pictures of the far side of the Moon. Moscow ensured he was the first Westerner to see the results, which he received mid-broadcast. His early shows went out live, with Moore once swallowing a fly on air.AFP
