Universal praise for astronomical impact of Moore’s inspiring lore

A statement issued by a group of his friends and staff said the broadcaster passed away peacefully at his home in Selsey, West Sussex, and described Sir Patrick as “an inspiration to generations of astronomers”.

Queen guitarist Brian May described his “dear friend” as “irreplaceable”, while physicist and fellow TV presenter Brian Cox said Sir Patrick had “helped inspire my love of astronomy.”

Sir Patrick, who celebrated the 55th anniversary of his programme, The Sky At Night, in April, had battled ill health in recent years.

He had become wheelchair-bound and unable to look through a telescope and died after failing to fight off an infection.

The statement issued after his death added: “He was able to perform on his world record-holding TV Programme The Sky at Night right up until the most recent episode.

“His executors and close friends plan to fulfil his wishes for a quiet ceremony of interment, but a farewell event is planned for what would have been Patrick’s 90th birthday in March 2013.”

May said: “Patrick will be mourned by the many to whom he was a caring uncle, and by all who loved the delightful wit and clarity of his writings, or enjoyed his fearlessly eccentric persona in public life.

“There will never be another Patrick Moore. But we were lucky enough to get one.”

Speaking at a party to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the BBC programme, Sir Patrick said he hoped the stargazing series would continue “indefinitely”.

He said: “I’m absolutely staggered. I never thought when I began doing television shows that I’d be on for another year, let alone 55 years.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be good enough or if the subject matter would hold up. I think I’m exactly the same now as I was when I started. I just haven’t got the voice I once had.”

Sir Patrick only missed one episode since it began in 1957 when he was struck down by food poisoning. The last programme was broadcast a week ago.

His trademark monocle, unique delivery and occasional performances on the xylophone made him a familiar target for satirists and impressionists, but his scientific credentials were never in doubt.

The show’s guests have included many prominent scientists as well as Goon Show star Michael Bentine and astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

But the demands of live television led to the occasional blooper, with Sir Patrick famously once swallowing a fly live on air.

Sir Patrick, who had a pacemaker fitted in 2006, received his knighthood in 2001, won a Bafta for services to television and was a member of the Royal Society.

He wrote more than 60 books on astronomy and The Sky At Night has inspired successive generations of stargazers.

Space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock said she had got her first inspiration to look at the night sky from Sir Patrick.

“He was broadcasting before we actually went into space and he saw a change in our understanding of the universe, and he took us all the way through that, right up until today,” she said.

Dr Marek Kukula, the Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, said: “His name is almost synonymous with astronomy and his programmes – his books, they were the way that almost everybody who is interested in astronomy in this country got started.

“You can’t be interested in astronomy and not stumble across something that Patrick has done, it is such a huge body of work.”

UKIP leader Nigel Farage said: “Since I first met Sir Patrick when he dominated a UKIP stage in 1999, he has been a friend and an inspiration.

“Today we have seen the passing of a true great, and a true Englishman.”