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To British television viewers, the name 'Patrick Moore' has been synonymous with Astronomy and Space Travel since he first appeared on The Sky at Night in 1957. To amateur astronomers he has been a source of inspiration, joy, humour and even an eccentric role model since that time. Most people know that his 55 years of presenting The Sky at Night is a world record, but what was he really like in person? What did he do away from the TV cameras, in his observatory, and within the British Astronomical Association, the organisation that inspired him as a youngster? Also, precisely what did he do during the War Years, a subject that has always been shrouded in mystery? Martin Mobberley, a friend of Patrick Moore's for 30 years, and a former President of the British Astronomical Association, has spent ten years exhaustively researching Patrick's real life away from the TV cameras. His childhood, RAF service, tireless voluntary work for astronomy and charity and his endless book writing are all examined in detail. His astronomical observations are also examined in unprecedented detail, along with the battles he fought along the way and his hatred of bureaucracy and political correctness. No fan of Sir Patrick Moore can possibly live without It Came from Outer Space Wearing an RAF Blazer! on their bookshelf!
Chapter 1: The Pre-War Years
Chapter 2: The War Years
Chapter 3: The Post War Years
Chapter 4: The First Books and O’Neill’s Bridge
Chapter 5: Desmond Leslie, Cedric Allingham and Science Fiction
Chapter 6: The BBC
Chapter 7: Encounters with Russians and George Alcock
Chapter 8: some Classic 1960s Broadcasts
Chapter 9: Back to the Lunar Section
Chapter 10: The Move to Armagh
Chapter 11: Meteorites, Pills, Saturn and the Leonids
Chapter 12: St. Osyth, Two British Novae, Serpents Everywhere, and an OBE
Chapter 13: Selsey and the Race to the Moon
Chapter 14: Apollo 11
Chapter 15: A Bestselling Author, Nutters and More Moon Landings
Chapter 16: Mainly BAA and TLP
Chapter 17: Back in Charge of the Lunar Section
Chapter 18: A Telescope, a Comet and the Monte Umbe
Chapter 19: Kohoutek Flops and This is Your Life
Chapter 20: Not Enough Hours in the Day
Chapter 21: A Naked Eye Nova and a Director Resigns
Chapter 22: An End to Lunar Section Chores
Chapter 23: Twenty Years on TV and a Fall in the Bath!
Chapter 24: Back in the TLP Driving Seat
Chapter 25: Nursing Mother
Chapter 26: A British Comet Marks the End of an Era
Chapter 27: Musings on Planet 10; Life after Mother
Chapter 28: Halley recovered as Patrick becomes President
Chapter 29: Fifty Years in the BAA and Halley
Chapter 30: Supernova 1987A, Politics and a New Magazine
Chapter 31: Business as Usual at the BBC and the BAA
Chapter 32: A 100th Birthday and Madness in Buenos Aires
Chapter 33: A Nasty Accident and Shoemaker-Levy 9
Chapter 34: The Caldwell Catalogue, Neptune and More Foreign Trips
Chapter 35: Death of a Friend, Selsey’s Tornado and Serious Health Problems
Chapter 36: The 1999 Total Solar Eclipse and Ailing Health
Chapter 37: A Knighthood, a BAFTA and a Fellow of the Royal Society
Chapter 38: A Biography, a Co-presenter, a Venus Transit and a Deadly Goose Egg
Chapter 39: A New Magazine, a Pacemaker and BANG!
Chapter 40: 50 Years of The Sky At Night
Chapter 41: Still Alive Despite All the Odds!
Chapter 42: Life, the Universe and Everything
Epilogue: Patrick’s Legacy
Appendix 1: Patrick’s Variable Stars
Appendix 2: Patrick’s Voluntary BAA Roles
Appendix 3: Total Solar Eclipse Trips Experienced by Patrick
Appendix 4: Patrick’s 300+ Books and Other Media Offerings
