Sir Patrick Moore, considered by many to be the “Godfather of astronomy “, passed away peacefully at his home in West Sussex on December 9, 2012, following an extended spell of ill health. The Monocle-wearing broadcaster had been the longest running host of the BBC show ‘The Sky at Night’ for a span of 55 years, the final show being aired just recently on December 3, 2012.
Numerous celebrities paid tribute to the legendary broadcaster on various networking sites. Legendary rock band Queen’s guitarist Brian May, referring to him as a “father figure” mentioned that Moore would be “irreplaceable”.
The eccentric stargazer was especially fond of his pet cat Ptolemy, who was there beside him even at the time of his death. Patrick even wrote a book about his love for cats. Besides cats, he wrote quite a few books on astronomy, which were extensively used in Russian and US space programmes. The scientist was knighted in 2001, for his contribution to science and broadcasting.
Sir Patrick, who became the youngest member of the British Astronomical Association at the age of 11, without any formal education and degree always wanted a ‘big fun party’ at his funeral, with loads of alcohol. His friends decided to respect his last wish and planned the same for the great man.
