Sir Patrick Moore (1923–2012) was Britain's most popular astronomer and science populariser of the twentieth century. A leading amateur observer of the Moon and planets and a member of the British Astronomical Association, he produced lunar maps later drawn on by space programmes. From 1957 he presented the BBC's The Sky at Night without a break, making it the longest-running television series with the same host. A prolific author of more than sixty popular astronomy books, he was knighted in 2001. A monocle-wearing eccentric and amateur xylophonist, he embodied the wonder of the night sky for generations of viewers.